Dark Horizons
by murreiya
Summary: In the world of RuneMidgard, Aeron and Myria search for their lost parents, in the midst of their search, they find a mysterious power and a terrible secret.
1. The Beginning

_Disclaimer: I, the author of the content that can be found here within can assure you, the read that any of the opinions expressed here are my own. I would like to expressly convey to you (the reader) that were I to accidentally defame, purge, humuliate and or hurt someone's person or feelings as a result of them reading and or acting upon any or all the information and or advice found here in my story, it is entirely unintentional of me to do so. Any comments that may be found here are the express opinions and or the property of their individual authors. Therefore, I the author of this story can not be held responsible for the fact that the minds of the respected authors may just well be as disfunctional as my own. If not more... and it is not a practice of my own to edit any comments left here by others. Along those lines, constructive criticism and comments are always welcome. Any references, settings and/or characters pertaining to Ragnarok Online (or the manga) belong to their respective owners and no money is made from this story. _

* * *

God's fire erupted over the village of Mandraeia, illuminating the already dark, stormy night. The village had been a home of the most skillful craftsmen. Their prideful works of art now lay in the bitter ruins as the deadly fire curled around the people as they lay asleep. Not one man or woman could escape the sudden death of the hellish flames. No one that is, except for two young children who had luckily been too tired from a game of tag and had fallen asleep in a field near by.

Aeron and Myria had been found two days after the fire. Shivering from the cold and absolutely drenched from the sudden downpour after the village burned down, the two children were taken in by a neighboring village. Ever since then, the two children lived a quiet life withe their elderly grandmother. As an experienced mage, Mika Dechant helped those who need any special help; dealing with every day magic and various projects. But old age was soon wearing on the old woman and the young Myria constantly had to warn her grandmother of her health. Aeron on the other hand, loved seeing his grandmother work and enjoyed helping his neighbors immensely. Though the two children loved to play, they always had one thing in mind - finding their long lost parents.

"Myria..."

The young girl looked up into the sparkling blue eyes of her big brother with uncertainty.

"Myria, you're holding the pencil too tight!" Aeron shook his head as he took the stub of lead away from his sister and took her small hands. Her brown eyes frowned at him as he forcefully placed the pencil around her fingers and closed them in a semblance of how he had his.

She merely pushed him to sit down and set about doing whatever it was she was drawing on the piece of parchment in front of her.  
Aeron shook his head again at his little sister, not quite believing how stubborn she was. He watched with mild interest as she drew some familiar shapes which looked similar to the statues that had been standing outside the village of Mandraeia before the fire. Her drawings were childish but showed a lot of what she was currently feeling. It had been three years since the fire and also the time when Myria lost her voice, crying herself hoarse after trying to find their home, friends and parents.

Everyone, including their grandmother, believed that their parents had also perished in the awful fire. The orphans knew better though. They could feel it in their hearts that their parents had not died yet, and was determined to find out the truth. Everyday, they would set out to venture, and everyday the would go a little further than before. But both children never wanted to leave their grandmother as they both knew that it would hurt their grandmother's heart too much if they were to leave her now.

Time passed peacefully for the two children, even as the world started to forget about the mysterious fire that destroyed their village. However things did not calm for the orphans. Unexpectedly, their lives once again transformed startlingly. Grandmother Dechant was preparing lunch for her two grandchildren when she gasped with a tinge of pain. She grabbed the closest chair to try to steady herself but it seemed as if the air was suddenly sucked out of her. Her chest hurt and her heart could not bear to pump any longer. The old woman felt herself fall breathlessly to the ground. There was no pain as the world started to darken before her eyes and in that small instance, she prayed that her grandchildren will be able to cope. The last thought; the love towards her two grandchildren. Feeling the cold seep into her bones, she closed her eyes and surrendered to the cold.

Just as Mika's heart stopped beating, Myria arrived in the kitchen to see her grandmother on the floor. Screaming with alarm, she cried out, " Grandmother! Grandmother, wake up! Aeron! Aeron! Somebody! Please help!" Her tears clouded her small round eyes as she hugged her grandmother close. Her breath came out ragged and unevenly as she sobbed, holding Mika's ancient hand in hers. "Please don't leave us..."

* * *

That was three years ago. Aeron and Myria had been given homage in a neighbor's house but feeling discontent, the two of them decided to travel Rune-Midgard. Their dream of finding their parents was finally coming true. It was time to travel and see what clues they could find about their parents and the mysterious magical fire that burned down their village, Mandraeia.

Their first stop was to go to Prontera, the main city of Rune- Midgard. The two red headed siblings hoped to find some relatives living in Prontera, where they would be able to inquire about the fire and where their parents had been at the time. Feeling full of excitement, they descended from the hill, where they called home for twelve years and they walked down the road which would become a familiar companion over the next few years.

"Aeron! Watch it! That Poring is eating your apple!" cried Myria.

"Oh let it be." Replied Aeron.

The twenty four year old Aeron watched the pink monster swallow his apple whole. The Poring smiled and started hopping away. Myria stared at it for a moment before turning towards her brother. Dressed in the usual clothes of a novice, he stood to be about a foot taller than her. Even though Myria was younger, she felt like the more responsible one.

"That was the last of your rations! Now what will you eat?" asked Myria.

Aeron stared off into the distance. He could see the colorful banners of Prontera overlooking the forest. They were close to Prontera - very close.

"Don't worry little sister. We'll be in Prontera soon and you'll be able to pig out all you want!" laughed Aeron.

Myria sighed. "We could have at least sold that apple for some more zennies. Ever since we met that merchant, we've been low on zennies. He sold us a faulty knife too!"

"Well you shouldn't have been so greedy. You knew that the knife was too cheap to be any good."

"Don't blame everything on me! You were eyeing the sword that he offered. Don't think I didn't see you trying to pawn off your clothes for that blade!"

"That blade would have offered us better protection!"

"As long as one knew how to yield it... which technically you do not!"

Aeron growled and shook his head while muttering, "I sometimes wish you were still mute."

Myria glared at her brother and than stalked off. Feeling miserable, Myria could only focus on the banners of Prontera. She had no energy to argue with her brother and was too tired to deal with all the stress that came with babysitting him. It was a long journey that they have embarked on and it was time they finally saw some decent civilization. Myria would go crazy if they were to see more forests upon forests. Clutching the map in her hand, Myria stamped hard on the ground to warm herself up. It was getting colder these days. Looking over to her brother, she noticed him motioning for her to come over. She contemplated ignoring him and looked away for a moment.

"Myria! Get over here!"

The girl turned to observe her brother once again and noticed him jumping up and down and pointing excitedly over his shoulder. Sighing, she walked stiffly over to her brother but suddenly gave a cry of happiness when she saw the Prontera gates, open and welcoming.


	2. Prontera, the City

_Disclaimer: I, the author of the content that can be found here within can assure you, the read that any of the opinions expressed here are my own. I would like to expressly convey to you (the reader) that were I to accidentally defame, purge, humuliate and or hurt someone's person or feelings as a result of them reading and or acting upon any or all the information and or advice found here in my story, it is entirely unintentional of me to do so. Any comments that may be found here are the express opinions and or the property of their individual authors. Therefore, I the author of this story can not be held responsible for the fact that the minds of the respected authors may just well be as disfunctional as my own. If not more... and it is not a practice of my own to edit any comments left here by others. Along those lines, constructive criticism and comments are always welcome. Any references, settings and/or characters pertaining to Ragnarok Online (or the manga) belong to their respective owners and no money is made from this story. _

* * *

Finally in Prontera, the two siblings were amazed by the amount of people present. The city seemed to be bustling with activity. Many merchants were camped around the center of Prontera trying to sell their merchandise. Myria stared in awe at all the available gems and goodies that were for sale. Aeron's mouth watered when he saw the stalls full of food and water.

"Isn't this just wonderful?" cried Myria.

Aeron nodded and then shouted back, "Let's go sell our junk! We'll need to find a merchant or one of the main stores."

Myria agreed and they walked off in search of a merchant willing to accept their junk items. Not finding anyone, they ventured into a store and found that it was nearly empty. The cool interior of the store gave them a chance to really relax. Walking up to the store clerk, they took out all their junk and asked if they were willing to buy it. The store clerk smiled and merely nodded. With the deal successfully done, they walked off to find the Prontera Inn.

Just as they were walking out of the store, an old woman cried out in alarm and looked wildly around. Crying, she pushed through the doors and stumbled out. The two siblings ran after the old woman, curious about what had set the woman off. Following her, they found her sitting on the steps of a nearby building crying. Many people were gathered around her now, and Aeron and Myria had to push their way through. Amongst her cries, the two heard the words, "...stolen. All...zennies, stolen. ...Thieves!"

Feeling sorry for the old woman, Aeron walked forward to lend out a hand. Myria helped to comfort the woman and promised to get the zennies back. Aeron agreed and the two led the old woman off to a quiet corner of the street. After the woman was relatively calmed down, the two asked questions of the woman.

"I remember I had my bag of zennies with me when I was buying ice cream for a small child. He was very nice about it. Thanked me. I still had the bag of zennies with me when I entered the items shop. Afterwards, when I went to pay for my items, I couldn't find my zennies anymore." The woman sobbed bitterly after her account of the day.

Thinking, Aeron asked, "Did anyone bump into you or touch you?"

Trying to remember, the old woman wrinkled her forehead in concentration. "I think a small boy was standing near me and when I turned around, I bumped into him. That's it."

"Do you remember what that boy looked like?" asked Myria.

The woman nodded and described the boy as being around thirteen years old, with blue short hair and a bandana wrapped around his head. The two acknowledged this and asked the woman to rest at the Inn, while they go forth and try to find the thief that took her money.

Meanwhile, crouched in a dark corner, Wen laughed and talked quietly with another boy.  
"Boy was that woman stupid. She bumped into me and I took it right out of her pocket. It's a good thing I work fast."  
The other boy smiled sadly and looked at the melting ice cream in his hand. The woman had been kind enough to buy him an ice cream. He felt sad that Wen had decided to take her money. She was so nice to him.  
"Are you sure it's right that we should take zennies from her?" he asked.  
"Look Tye. If you're soft, you don't get any zennies okay?"  
Tye looked at the blue haired boy. Even though Wen sounded tough, he was really very soft. Tye knew that ever since Wen was a baby, his father would beat him and stealing food became a habit for Wen. Overtime, Wen grew to hate anyone who it good in life. What could Tye do? He couldn't persuade Wen to stop stealing and it seemed cruel to take the zennies from the woman who was so kind to him.

Before Tye could say anything, Wen suddenly looked angry. Taking a handful of zennies from the bag, he stuffed it into his pockets and threw the rest down onto the ground.

"Look, if you're too soft to do this, you might as well leave."

Turning around, Wen stomped off and looked for another victim. Making sure that he was far enough from Tye, Wen let a drop of tear drop before, wiping hastily the trace of a tear from his eyes. Feeling miserable, he looked at the zennies in his pocket. The woman was nice to Tye, so what? Maybe she just wanted to take Tye home and sell him off to some old creep. Who could have known?

Turning a corner, he suddenly came face to face with a red haired man. The man looked at him curiously. Before the man could stop him, Wen fled and ran to hide behind a statue. Looking up, he saw a girl looking through her purse. Counting the zennies in her hand, she threw the zennies back into her purse and tied it loosely to her garment. Smiling, Wen ran up to the girl and grabbed her hand. Shaking it, he looked up with tearful eyes. The girl looked surprised as she looked down at the boy. Even though she was only a few years older than him, Wen knew that something about her made her look soft, innocent almost. The red haired girl looked concerned when she noticed his tears and faced him completely.

"What is it? Is something wrong?"

Wen nodded and shook the tears from his eyes. Trying to remember everything that his old man did to him, Wen let the slightest hint of sorrow enter his voice when he looked up to the girl and answered,

"Someone's following me. He's really tall and he looks strong. I think he's going to kidnap me."

Pointing towards the direction of the red haired man, Wen turned around and grabbed her garment. The purse was in his grasp when suddenly he felt a hard grip on his hands. Looking up, he was surprised to find that the red haired man was standing in front of him.

"Myria. I think we got the thief." Said the red haired man.

The girl looked down at Wen and sighed. She looked disappointed and saddened.

"Their getting so young these days. I almost fell for his trap when I looked into his sad eyes."

Wen was angry now. It was all a trap! They had wanted to catch him in the action!

"Boy, I order you to give back the zennies that you stole from that kindly old woman."

Wen laughed at the man. "What are you going to do if I don't do that?"

The man looked at the red haired girl named Myria and then back at him. Pulling him back up the street, they crossed the center of Prontera and were headed south. Struggling, Wen tried to get away but the man's grip was too strong and in the process of struggling, he began to hurt his own arm.

"Where are we going?" he shouted.

The nearby people looked at him, while the man merely smiled and said, "We're going to the Prontera Kafra personnel. They'll be able to tell us what we should do to you." Panicking, Wen cried out in pain as he wrenched his arm trying to set himself free. Suddenly he saw Tye running towards him. Wen was about to warn Tye when Tye suddenly dropped to the ground in front of the man. "Please. Please don't take him away. He's the only friend I have. Here. Here's the rest of the zennies." Dropping the bag of zennies, Tye grabbed onto Wen's free hand and held on. Looking at his friend, Wen felt something inside of him break. Suspecting it was his heart; Wen squeezed Tye's hand and smiled back. "Thank you." He mouthed and emptied his pockets.

After taking the zennies back to the old woman, Wen apologized and looked at Tye, who was still crying. Hitting him softly on the head, Wen laughed. "Don't worry Tye. I won't leave you."  
But when he tried to walk away with Tye, Aeron stopped him.

Anger boiled within Wen. "You promised you would let me go once I apologized and gave back the zennies!"  
Tye broke in and agreed. "Yeah you promised!"

The two thieves struggled against Aeron's grip. For a young novice, he was stronger than they had thought. "Myria. What do you think we should do?"

Myria was busy staring off into the distance and didn't hear Aeron talking. "Myria!"  
"Oh sorry Aeron. I've been thinking. Why don't we go to Izlude?"  
"Izlude? Why?"  
"Well, I've seen you look at the knight's recruiting posters and I know you want to become a knight. So why not go to Izlude and join? We can still look for mother and father. You'll just be stronger and you'll have the aid of your guild. What do you think?"  
Smiling, Aeron nodded and looked off into the distance. Finally he agreed with Myria. He looked down at the two boys and said, "You're going to take us to Izlude. After we get to Izlude, I'll set you two free." The boys looked at each other and silently agreed. These two would go to Izlude alright...


	3. To Izlude

*Alright, to tell you the truth, I'm really really in need of comments and criticsm. How else would I know if you like the way I write or if the story is good enough? Huh? Please help me out. Write a review or email me at luv_amber17@hotmail.com. Okay?  
  
After getting the needed supplies for the journey, Myria and Aeron enter the south fields of Prontera and start walking through the dark forests. Slaying the occasional Poring or Fabre, they walked along the worn old paths, overgrown with weeds. After what seemed like days, they were so tired that the two could not walk anymore. The thieves smiled to each other. They were full of energy. As each day brought them closer to Izlude the more excited they became.  
  
That night Myria started a fire and started to cook dinner. Aeron was busy training in preparation of meeting the guildsmen of the Swordsmen's guild. As the day started to die, they sat around the fire, discussing about their trip to Izlude and wondering what were the requirements to pass the test and become a Swordsmen. Aeron had mastered all the basic skills that were needed but he was very anxious about the specific test that they would give him. They slept fitfully that night, unawares that Wen and Tye was making secret plans and the town of Izlude lay less than two days away.  
  
The next day, the two siblings noticed the road was becoming more worn out, as if more people had come this way. Realizing that they were very close to the city of Izlude, the two celebrated by making a large breakfast. Their rations were almost all gone anyways, but Myria was able to make a good egg and meat breakfast with an apple on the side.  
  
Just as they were finishing their meal, Myria heard a soft cry come from the bushes. Curious, she walked slowly towards the direction of the noise. Suddenly a large amount of Porings appeared out of nowhere and threw her to the ground. Feeling the tiny slimy bodies crawl over her, made Myria scream in panic. Aeron appeared and viewed the whole situation with a hearty laugh.  
  
"Myria, you can't always be so scared of the things. They're really not that aggressive."  
  
Myria stood up and brushed the dirt off her clothes. The Porings were out of sight by now. Some were killed by Aeron as they tried to steal his knife. Reaching into her pockets, she searched vainly for her apple. Looking around, Myria shouted angrily, "Those little thieves stole my apple!"  
  
Aeron laughed again and offered his apple to his sister. "Come on! We have to get back to the camp."  
  
They shared the apple and started walking but just as they entered their camp site, Myria felt that something was wrong. The clearing didn't contain any signs of them having spent the night. Everything had disappeared except the signs of their having been a camp fire. Panicking, Myria ran into the clearing and looked around.  
  
"Where's Wen and Tye? Where did my equipment go? Where's my zennies?"  
  
Aeron felt the rage welling up inside of him. "Those little rascals." He whispered angrily. Picking up a nearby rock, Aeron threw it with all his might. "Those little rascals." He repeated. After searching in vain, the two could not find any traces of Wen or Tye. Giving up, Aeron and Myria decided to continue on their path to Izlude which lay less than a day's travel ahead.  
  
It was around mid-day when Aeron and Myria finally reached Izlude. Without any herbs or equipment, Myria was in bad shape. She was tired both emotionally and physically. Aeron knew that she wanted to rest but seeing as they had no zennies, it was hopeless to try and find a room to rest in. Luckily for them, they saw an isolated corner near the items shop. Sitting down on the ground, the two closed their eyes and enjoyed the shade that the items shop provided.  
  
"Myria."  
  
"Yeah? What is it?"  
  
"I'm going to go and train some more. I'll bring back some items and we can sell it for zennies okay?"  
  
Concerned, Myria looked at her brother. He looked sincere enough, but it was getting late. If he fought in the mid-day sun, without shade or water...  
  
"Don't worry about me, Myria. I'm your older brother, remember?"  
  
Finally, Myria could only nod and smile encouragingly at her brother as he walked back out the entrance of Izlude. Turning back around, she tried to nap as the crowds walked by and looked at her. Some man walked by and leered while boys taunted her. Feeling embarrassed, Myria could only ignore the comments and closed her eyes.  
  
"Young lady, the streets of Izlude is no place for you."  
  
Opening her eyes, Myria saw an old man crouching beside her. Knowing that she should be weary of the old man, but she felt that he was a kind person. Someone who was willing to help. Perhaps it was his grey beard which was both comforting and funny looking.  
  
"I'm waiting for my brother to come back." She replied.  
  
"Why don't you wait at the inn?" The old man asked.  
  
"Two thieves stole all our zennies."  
  
Wrinkling his brow, the old man motioned for her to get up. Obediently, Myria stood up and looked questioningly at the old man. "What is it?"  
  
"You'll not be staying on the streets until he comes back. Come with me and we'll find your brother. Then you guys can stay over at my place."  
  
Feeling full of energy again, Myria happily went after the old man. They had a place to stay!  
  
Outside of Izlude, Aeron sat down hard. He was tired from traveling for so long. He was tired from picking up items and his sack had started to feel very heavy indeed. As he looked towards the darkened sky, he felt worried about his sister. Finally, getting up Aeron headed for the gates of Izlude. Before he reached it though, he heard a familiar voice shouting for him.  
  
"Aeron! Aeron! Where are you?"  
  
Searching for his sister, Aeron walked faster and faster. What was it? Was she in trouble? But then again, there was a hint of happiness in her voice. Perhaps she found some zennies? Or she wanted to help him pick up items. Before any of these questions were answered, Myria flew into his arms and grabbed his hair.  
  
"Ow! Hey, get off! What are you, crazy?"  
  
"No, just extremely happy."  
  
Aeron looked behind his sister and his gaze fell upon an old man. He had a grey beard which was tied and worn in a funny manner. His attire was simple and was the costume of an acolyte. Noticing that the old man was smiling, Aeron smiled back.  
  
"Sorry, you must be her brother. My name is Jhude. I live in Izlude working at the clinic. I've noticed your sister sitting by herself in the corner and I offer you my home as shelter. It's up to you as to whether or not you accept."  
  
The news was welcoming to Aeron's ears. Finally, they were able to rest and relax.  
  
At Jhude's home, they marveled at the various kinds of herbs that were available. Jhude had grown different kinds of herbs which he planted outside in his garden. Many strange potions brewed in the inner rooms and the place smelled like Nature. Myria felt like she was at home again. Their mother had been an acolyte. She had also kept a large variety of herbs at home. Myria as a child, loved to climb into the herb garden and smell the aromas that were present. Most summer days, Myria's mother would find her cuddled near an herb plant and napping outside.  
  
Feeling both relieved and happy, the two slept soundly in their little beds, dreaming about their days at home and their mother and father. That night, Myria's dreams were disturbed. She was dreaming about her mother when suddenly she felt her dream shift. Without knowledge of where she was in the dream, the landscape seemed to be very foreign to her. Many people were gathered around her and she saw her mother amongst one of them. Trying to reach her mother, Myria fell and the dark engulfed her.  
  
Suddenly, Myria awoke with a cry and felt a cool hand on her forehead. Looking up, she saw Jhude smiling at her. "Sleep. You're tired. Sleep soundly now." Immediately, Myria felt tired and the last thing she saw before her heavy eyelids closed was Aeron whispering to Jhude. 


	4. Becoming a Swordsman

In the morning, Myria awoke and felt like she was born anew. Her muscles didn't ache like it used to and her strength had come back. Full of energy, Myria ran down the stairs and entered the dining area. Seeing Aeron eating breakfast, she smiled. He hadn't left her after all. Sensing that someone was watching him, Aeron turned around and looked up.  
  
"Hey sleepy head. What are you doing up so late?" He asked playfully.  
  
"Watching the pig eat everything that's left of breakfast."  
  
With a scowl, Aeron threw a piece of bread at her. Catching it easily, Myria bit into the bread and let the taste of home fill her mouth. Just as she was about to bite into the bread again, she smelt a wonderful aroma filling the room. Looking around, she noticed a pot of hot soup resting on the fire place.  
  
"Mmmm...this is so good smelling." She exclaimed.  
  
"Well then, have some."  
  
Jhude entered the room with a bowl and filled it up with soup. Setting it down, he invited Myria to try the soup. Laughing she ran towards the table and picked up the spoon. Before she could taste the soup though, she noticed the white haired stranger standing beside Jhude. Staring, she saw the man as being in his late thirties. He was tall and graceful with strong toned muscles. In his hands, he carried with him a beautiful looking staff, while strapped to his belt, there was a small dagger, just barely visible behind his long robe. Realizing that Myria was staring at the stranger, Aeron cleared his throat and looked questioningly at Jhude.  
  
"Oh! Yes. I almost forgot. Myria, Aeron, this is my old friend Tier. Tier, this is Myria and Aeron. Now you're all acquainted. Let's get on with breakfast."  
  
Tier shook his head and in a cool voice, said, "I'm sorry Jhude but as you know, matters are quite serious. We must talk immediately."  
  
Looking disappointed, Jhude nodded and motioned for the stranger to enter his office. Looking back longingly at the table, he entered backwards into the room. Laughing, Myria wolfed down the cooled soup and bit into her bread while Aeron looked thoughtfully at the closed door. That morning, the two siblings walked swiftly to the Swordsmen guild. Myria was just as excited as Aeron as they both knew that changing from a novice to another class, meant takings tests and going on quests. As prepared as he was, Aeron could not deny the butterflies which flew inside his stomach. Finally reaching the guild, they walked in and stared at the lines.  
  
"Don't worry." Said Myria, "Everyone wants to be a swordsman but you're the only one that's more than qualified."  
  
Aeron smiled. It wasn't true but it sure helped to hear his sister say that. When finally it came to their turn in line, Aeron felt like he had no strength left in him. Looking towards her brother, she saw his anxiety and quickly filled in the silence.  
  
"My brother here would like to sign up as a swordsman."  
  
The guilds member looked down at Aeron. He nodded and then asked Aeron to show him the nine basic skills needed of a novice. After Aeron's short demonstration, the guilds member smiled and said, "You have to take the test and if you pass, you'll be a swordsman." His anxiety ebbing, Aeron nodded and followed the man; while Myria sat down to wait anxiously for her brother's return.  
  
An hour passed and Aeron still did not return. She looked worriedly at the door, when she got too close, the guilds man scolded her and Myria sat back down in anger. What did Aeron have to do? How come it's taking him so long? Minutes passed slowly and for every minute that passed, Myria became more and more worried. Suddenly, she heard a familiar voice. Looking up, she saw that she was no longer at the Swordsmen's Guild. Myria was back home. Her mother was looking at her encouragingly and her father was sitting down under an oak tree, motioning for her to join him. Smiling, Myria went forward and suddenly stepped into a large opening in the ground, which swallowed her. Down, down she went.  
  
Opening her eyes in panic, she saw a man in front of her. Her eyes focused and she realized that Aeron was that man. "Aeron! Wow, you look great!"  
  
Laughing, Aeron looked down at his little sister. He had passed the test. He had made it. Punching Myria softly, he looked at her and smiled. "Hey, why don't you join the guild too?" he asked.  
  
Shaking her head, Myria looked towards the ceiling. There was something else that she was interested in. She wanted to be something other than a swordsman. There must be another job out there that she can fit into. Another job just right for her. Coyly, Myria answered, "I'm not a hot head like you. I can't take being in the swordsman's guild. I think I'll either be an acolyte like Jhude or a mage like Grandma."  
  
Playfully, the two joked around before Aeron was called forth by a few of his guilds members. Realizing that Aeron must now train with the guild and learn new skills, related to those of a swordsman, Aeron knew that it would be hard for him to take care of his sister while he was training. Worried, he walked back out and found his sister flirting with one of the guys. Frowning, he walked towards the two.  
  
"Hey Aeron! Guess what? This guy is going to be traveling with you while you train. I hear you have to go to Ant Hell a lot of times to complete your training. Do you think you're up to it?"  
  
Raising an eyebrow, he looked at their newest companion. The guy had blue hair and a pair of strong muscular arms. "Looks like you should have been a black smith instead of a swordsman."  
  
Grinning, the guy punched him softly and said, "Everyone says that. But the guilds master says that I have strong arms that will help me with learning Bash."  
  
Nodding, Aeron started talk to the guy about the guild and what they had to do. Learning the skills seemed easy enough if they had a rigorous training schedule. The time left over wasn't enough for Aeron to look after Myria. This constantly was on his mind as he looked towards his little sister. She would have to start training on with them and risk being injured or she would have to find a job somewhere in the city, where it's relatively safe. Then a thought crossed his mind, what if she was to join the other guilds? She would be able to train with her guilds members and she would find many new friends...  
  
Realizing that she was being watched, Myria looked up from the pamphlet that she was reading. Aeron blushed and quickly looked away. Arching her eye brows, she walks up to him and pulls him away from the group.  
  
"What is it?" she asks.  
  
"I was just thinking about which job you would like to have, or what guild you would like to join."  
  
Smiling, Myria showed him the pamphlet that she had in her left hand.  
  
"I'm joining the Magician's guild. I'm becoming a mage."  
  
The next morning, Myria woke up to a beautiful day. Jhude had made an excellent breakfast with porridge and eggs. Her favorite soup was waiting on the table ready to be eaten. Noticing that there were three settings at the table, Myria guessed that the stranger, Tier was coming to breakfast. Digging into her porridge, Myria contemplated on what she had thought she had seen yesterday. In her dreams, she had walked up to Tier. He was standing at the balcony looking down at the emptied streets. His voice carried slowly towards her and an unearthly song reached her ears. The soft voice sang a tune without words and a feeling of being gently held and protected filled her heart. As Myria woke, she had felt the last notes from the song still ringing in her head and she had walked out in the early morning to see if the dream had been true. As she reached the balcony there was no one there.  
  
Now as she thought about it, the more Myria became certain that the dream had been true and that she had been hearing that unearthly yet beautiful tune issue forth from Tier. There was something about that man. Something mysterious and dark, yet she wanted to know so much more about him.  
  
Before she can think anymore on the subject, Tier and Jhude entered the room and sat down. Winking at Myria, Jhude gave her another loaf of bread. "Young girls should keep eating to start growing strong and healthy."  
  
Agreeing, Myria happily bit into her bread. Before she can swallow though, she noticed that Tier was staring at her. Questioningly, Myria looked towards him, about to open her mouth to ask him what he's staring at. Tier started speaking just before she was about to ask though.  
  
"After breakfast, you're going to come with me to the Magician's guild."  
  
Choking on her half chewed ball of bread, Myria tried to calm herself. She had known for a while now that the man sitting in front of her was a mage but to have him escort her to the guild itself... that she had not thought about.  
  
"You did want to become a magician didn't you?" Tier asked.  
  
"Of course! I wouldn't want to be anything else!" Looking sheepishly towards Jhude, Myria added, "Maybe I would be an acolyte if I couldn't pass the magician's test."  
  
Tier watched her silently. Finally, he took a sip of his coffee and looked back at Myria. "Then it's all settled. I'm taking you to the Magician's guild. You'll get signed up and you'll have to complete a quest. I have something to do in Geffen anyways." 


	5. Magic in Geffen

The journey to Geffen seemed to drag on and on. Barely able to rest, Myria was forced to follow Tier through the never ending forests and across the monster filled land. One particular morning, Myria came across a very peculiar looking monster. Playing a soft music from it's violin, the monster hopped across the clearing. Looking down at Tier, Myria crept off to follow the monster and marveled at its music.  
  
When Tier awoke, he felt something was wrong. His eyes flung open and instantly he saw that Myria was missing. The clearing was empty of any other creature, man or monster. Where could she have gone?  
  
"Myria! Myria, where in the world are you?" Tier shouted.  
  
"Stupid girl. I should have known that girl would go off somewhere. Probably lost by now."  
  
Just as Tier had suspected, Myria was lost. She had followed the Rocker all the way across the clearing and into the forest. Before she knew it though, the Rocker had stopped in its track and a bright light issued forth from the monster. Opening her eyes, Myria was shocked to find at least six Rockers looking at her. Not knowing what to do, Myria crept into a hollow beside the rock and a large tree, trying to hide from all the Rockers.  
Tier looked for clues as to where Myria had gone. Looking through the supplies, he packed a large amount of herbs and potions and got his equipments ready, if he was to find Myria, he would have to do it fast or someone else, or something else will.  
  
"Help! Somebody please help!"  
  
Dodging an attack from the Rockers, Myria ran. They were too fast for her though, the back of her shirt was ripped and she was bleeding heavily. The tiny flames that dashed forth from her arms did no harm to the Rockers and instead angered them even more. Desperately trying to trick them into thinking that she had a weapon, Myria reached into her nap sack. Before she can pull out her hands though, a she tripped and fell. The Rockers encircled her and Myria helplessly laid waiting for her death. Suddenly a large lightning bolt struck the lead Rocker. Each one of the Rockers went into a frenzy. In the confusion, Myria felt strong arms wrapped around her and she fell into unconsciousness.  
  
Through her sleepless dreams, she felt a voice calling to her. Unknowingly, she grabbed the arm of Tier in her sleep and dreamt on. Looking down at the red haired girl, Tier could only mumble his discontent. The growing anger within him made him feel too hot. There were some things that were meant to be done, and some things that were just too stupid. Perhaps he should have let the girl die? She was too much of a nuisance. Already he was late behind schedule. Whatever made him agree to take her on? Was it the way her hair reminded him of her?  
  
Closing his eyes, Tier dreamt about another woman. A woman from his past. A woman who had taught him his magic, someone who he cared for and is forever searching to find again. This woman held the key to a part of his memory in which he himself could not remember. There were things to be done, he must find her.  
  
The next morning, Myria opened her eyes and saw that the sun was shining brightly. She sat in the shade looking around. Where was she? Tenderly, Myria felt the wounds on her legs and arms. She gasped when she felt a large bruise that ran from the back of shoulders to the end of her elbow. Standing up, she gingerly ran a finger along her wounds, sizing up the damage done. Realizing that most of the wounds were being treated with certain herbs, she knew that someone had saved her and that someone was most likely Tier. But where did Tier go?  
  
Using the many years of training from their grandmother and Aeron, Myria studied the forest floor. Someone was sitting next to her last night. There were marks indicating that they had gone off towards the west. Studying the marks more closely, Myria began to track the person. Finally, her search led her to the edge of the desert. Staring off in the distance, Myria saw a tiny speck in the horizon. Panicking that she would lose the sight of her savior, Myria began running. She ran with all the speed that she could and hoped to catch up. The mid morning sun shone brightly and soon she began feeling hot. Myria slowed down. This was hopeless; there was no way that she could possibly catch up with the person in this smoldering heat. There must be some shade around.  
  
Suddenly a large PecoPeco started squealing in the distance. What was going on? Looking down, she realized that she had accidentally stepped on an egg. Scared, Myria knew subconsciously that the egg used to belong to the PecoPeco. There was no way that she could back away from the large bird. She was going to die after all. Honking loudly, the PecoPeco flapped its wings and ran after Myria. Heading towards her one time savior, Myria ran for her life. Occasionally looking up, she saw that the person in front of her was heading backwards. Myria thought, 'help was on the way. If only I can run a little faster.'  
  
Her thoughts were interrupted when suddenly she felt the beak rip into her clothes. Myria's left arm felt numb and alarmed, Myria fell to the ground. Before the PecoPeco could strike however, a large fireball flew through the air and surrounded the PecoPeco. Lifting Myria off the ground, Tier sent a couple more fireballs until the PecoPeco lay unconscious on the ground, its feathers mostly burnt away. Picking up what was left of her belongings, Tier led Myria's tired body towards a small palm tree. Sitting under the shade, Tier looked at the girl. Her shirt was in shreds, the knapsack she carried was half torn off her belt and her arms bleeding profusely. Feeling slightly guilty, Tier took off his robe and covered her body. Taking out what was left of his herbs, he crushed it in his mouth and smoldered the paste all over her new wounds. Gasping in pain, Myria tried to fight him off, but she eventually fell against him in utter exhaustion. The pain had subsided but her tired body could no longer take it. She once again fell asleep, holding the sleeves of Tier's robe with a deathly grip.  
  
Night came swiftly and the hot climate changed to one of great cold. Tier looked at the still sleeping Myria. Her wounds were healing quite fast and he estimated that she would come around soon. Wrapped in a blanket, he slowly removed Myria's hands from his arm and rummaged through his bag. He had only a apple, two bottles of milk and a loaf of bread left. There was even less water. Sighing, he went about to looking for any fire wood. It was going to get even colder. Soon, Tier had a fire going and the magical flame licked at the scarce supply of wood but burnt nevertheless. With his magic ebbing, Tier tried to regain his energy and drank some milk. Finally, he couldn't stand watch any longer and fell in a deep sleep. Leaning against a nearby tree, a young man watched in amusement.  
  
The next morning, Myria awoke and was startled to find that the fire was still burning, even without any wood. Looking at the magical fire with curiosity, Myria crawled closer. Feeling the burning heat of the fire on her face was uncomfortable but curiosity took a strong hold of her. Reaching a finger out, she was about to touch the flame when suddenly Tier pushed her aside and glared at her.  
  
Moaning in pain, Myria grabbed her injured arm and looked at Tier in fright.  
  
"What was that for?" she whined.  
  
"That is a magical flame. Where there is magic involved, you do not ever touch the flame unless otherwise told to do so, do you understand?"  
  
"Why the bloody hell not?"  
  
Surprised that Myria had resolved to swearing, Tier sat back down and with a hand wiped it across the fire. Suddenly the fire froze and turned into ice. The ice sent off a large wave of coolness which helped to relieve them of the desert heat.  
  
"Don't you understand? It's the simplest thing. The fire burns and will consume anything that touches it." Looking at Myria sternly he added, "Your hand could have been burnt severely. This ice for instance, is also magical. If you were to touch it, you might have been turned into an ---"  
  
Before he could finish, he realized that Myria was not paying attention but was picking up twigs from a nearby small tree. Annoyed, Tier walked up to her. "Why don't you ever listen? Why aren't you trying to learn?"  
  
Surprised at the anger within his voice, she looked up at him, "I'm just one to listen when I've had breakfast. Anyways, I already know what you're going to say, so you can save your breath."  
  
Unable to take it anymore, Tier brushed off his hands and began to pack up. Leaving her the food rations, Tier started walking away from the camp site.  
  
"Hey Tier! Where are you going?" Alarmed, Myria started to pack up her stuff too.  
  
Looking back, Tier shook his head and said, "You're not coming with me. I'm not going to be walking with you anymore. You have the map, I left you all the food and you have your knowledge. I'm sure you'll do better without me, as I'll do better without you!"  
  
Myria limped after Tier. Her arms hurt, as she tried to carry all her items. The things that were not needed, she left on the ground. Tier was fast, he was strong and rested, while Myria was wounded and still healing. There was no way that she could have followed him. Myria's feet started to slow down and she cursed herself for having been injured. Clinging to a last hope, Myria started lifting her legs and running.  
  
"Tier! Tier! Please don't go. Don't leave me!"  
  
The figure walking away from her did not even look back. Myria's last hopes were dashed as she tripped and fell flat on her face. The sand scrubbed against her already bruised cheek and with the last of her strength, Myria tried to lift herself up. Gasping in pain, she cried out when her arms scraped against the harsh floor. Looking up, she saw that Tier still had not stopped and was walking away faster. Her eyes teared up and she felt a strong feeling of defeat. She issued out a small cry and she dropped her head to the ground. Tears ran from her eyes in torrents while her body shook with each spasm. The pain that she felt no longer mattered to her, she was going to die here and she would never be able to see her parents; never be able to see her brother or fulfill her dreams of becoming a mage. Her grandmother's wishes, her hopes were all dashed. There was no future for her now.  
  
In her depression, Myria felt like she was the tiniest spot of dust amongst the universe's vastness. Her insignificance meant that even if she died, there would be no change. But in all her depressed state, she saw through her moisture filled eyes, the shadow crossing the vast sand. Soon, she felt cloth brush against her body and she saw a hand reach outwards towards her.  
  
"Get up."  
  
Glancing upwards, Myria saw Tier frown at her. Taking her knapsack, he pulled her up. Brushing the sand off herself, Myria started, "Tier...I'm sorry." Wiping the tears from her eyes, she held onto his arm, as if it was enough to protect her.  
  
"I don't want to hear about it. Let's go. It's getting late."  
  
Following Tier, Myria thought about the times when her father and mother would comfort her whenever she cried. She remembered when their family was together and they had the best of times. The man before her didn't show any of that kindness. He deliberately was distant to her and he constantly reminded her that he was doing her a favor. Tier would not show her the kindness that she had expected. She mustn't cry like a child anymore. It was time to appear more grown up. Maybe then, he'll treat her more nicely.  
  
Contemplating on this, Myria walked faster and soon walked side by side with Tier. "Tier..."  
  
"No talking."  
  
"Tier. You can't do this. I can't stand this."  
  
"Then leave!"  
  
This was useless. The man was cold. Yet something about him intrigued her when she first met him. He had a side of him that remained mysterious to her. Believing that she could change the man, Myria decided to deal with Tier in her own way.  
  
That day, they hiked across the desert in silence. Once they meet any Pickys, Myria would be in charge of getting rid of them while, Tier dealt with the more difficult monsters like the PecoPecos. Taking care to not get in the way, Myria did as she was told and followed Tier with a graveness.  
  
As night came, Myria concentrated on igniting a spark. As a novice, she could not do much but her grandmother...her grandmother had taught her before how to open up her heart and allow the magic in. Perhaps she could do it? Myria felt the fire within her start to spark. It swirled within her like a lazy bear just waking up. Her hands trembled with the effort. Suddenly a large flame sprung forth and Myria screamed as her clothes caught on fire.  
  
Tier ran from around the trees and shock filled his face, but after that momentary pause, Tier quickly ran forward and ice shot out of his staff. The fire froze and immediately, the ice melted into water. The two elements merged and Myria was left wet, but safe. Crying, she held onto Tier's hand, thanking him profusely. Shaking her off, he glared at the unfortunate girl.  
  
"How could you be so stupid to play with magic? Do you know that if I hadn't come along, that fire would have consumed you? Magic fires do not stop burning until the magic caster allows it to stop. Do you understand? You would have died!"  
  
"I know now....I do..." cried Myria. She fell to the ground in exhaustion and looked up at Tier. "I'm sorry." 


	6. Hands of Love

"Grandma was always a strong person. She had gone through the years of the Great War, endured the torture and degrading torments of the enemy, and yet she still became an amazing person. Her magic helped those around she created an atmosphere of warmth and welcoming in her home. Grandma was always able to make the child smile after any accident in life. Just as she gave me my first taste of magic, the beginning of my life on this road. "  
  
"I remember when she taught me how to create fire. Not just any fire, magical fire. Fire that was able to burn even through the darkest night, the wettest days. She would show me how to conjure a spark which eventually ignited into a flame. I thought it a bother to concentrate on such a tiny thing, but she was patient, ever waiting. "  
  
"Do you know how it felt? To have that spark finally ignite? I was at first scared. I ran to the arms of my mother. Asking for her healing, but I would always go back to Grandmother. I would always be curious about this magic which resided within her. The ability to use the magic to her will. "  
  
"At that time, I was five. Now I'm nineteen and I can feel the magic, stirring within me. I can feel her arms guiding me through my lessons. Each day seems to burn with that fire, so long ago that has sparked from my very arms. I cannot forget that. I cannot believe in anything else other than the fact that I myself have to be an accomplished mage. I must do this for my grandma. She's the one that gave everything up for us. She's the one who brought me up."  
  
Crying, Myria looked up at Tier. He stood before her, uncertain as to what to do. They were situated in the middle of the desert; there was no shade, no shadow that can cover the tears which were apparent on Myria's face. Tier felt uncomfortable seeing her cry. He had done this. He had made it hard for her, but what did he know about her grandmother? What did he care, before this episode?  
  
Realizing that he felt something, after hearing Myria's story made it even harder for him to apologize. There were just some things a man can do and some things that he shouldn't have to do. Finally, Tier crouched down and looked straight into Myria's eyes. Her long lashes were coated with moisture and the startling green eyes looked back at him. Tier hadn't realized her eyes were green until now; he had never really looked at Myria until now.  
  
Softly he whispered, "Myria, I didn't know. There are some people on this world, some good people, who touch us with their lives and we can never forget about them. I understand now that you cannot give up on this hope, this continuous quest. I know that it means the life of you and the memories of your grandmother and I respect that. I know now. Thank you for telling me."  
  
Myria was confused. The caring and soft man before him was not Tier. Tier was cold, sneering. A man of no heart. Was this really the man named Tier? The magician who could tear down walls with a single flick of his fingers? Was this the Tier that would kill monsters without a second thought? Myria had never seen Tier at his soft moments; she had never seen him this...this unsheltered.  
  
Something Myria had said had touched Tier. He also remembered the day that he met a woman. A mage with great power. The woman had fought with all her might against evil and corruption. She had taught Tier everything that he needed to know. She had loved him and he her. They had taught each other everything there was to love and they grew together. But it was because of her work against the corruption and evil that had created a rift between them. Tier could not forget her, but the memory of her hurt too much.  
  
Fearing that his feelings were evident in his face, Tier turned around and said to Myria, "We must get going. The sun is about to go down and I'm afraid the monsters are too active these days. They may venture into our camp at night. We should find a safe place to sleep."  
  
All thoughts about the new Tier disappeared from her head. This man before her was the old Tier. There were no doubts that he was trying to conceal his momentary drop of his defenses. Myria stood and wiped away her tears. From the corner of her eyes, she knew that Tier was watching her. Picking up her belongings, she followed Tier, through the harsh climate of the desert, she followed.  
  
Meanwhile, Aeron and Soyee walked side by side. The child whined about the lack of food and the long journey, but exclaimed loudly whenever they met a Poring or a Lunatic.  
  
"So what's it like being a swordsman? Do you see a lot of new, exciting things?" asked Soyee.  
  
"Well, I do get to travel a lot. I like following some of my comrades around. They accompany me whenever I want to train so that I don't have to die on them." With a laugh, Aeron looked towards the small child.  
  
"Die? Have you ever thought of dying?" asked Soyee.  
  
Raising an eyebrow, Aeron looked back at the acolyte girl. "I didn't really mean dying. I said that as a joke. Yes I think of dying but I don't want to. Not now, I still have a sister to take care of and my parents to find."  
  
Startled, Soyee's eyes opened wide. "You're parents are lost too?"  
  
Nodding, Aeron sat down next to the small boy. Motioning for Soyee to sit too, he took out a few pieces of bread and three apples. Dividing the food, he started telling Soyee about his history and what had happened to his village. Saddened by the story, the child began to cry.  
  
Sighing, Aeron looked at the acolyte. "You going to try and calm him down or should I?"  
  
Trying to hide her smile, Soyee reached for the child and pulled him close. "Listen now, we're almost back in Prontera. There we'll find your mother and you can go home, ok?"  
  
The rest of the afternoon was spent traveling and resting beside the road. They would never venture far from the road, just in case they met somebody who knew about the boy's mother. Soyee kept on looking over to Aeron. There was something about the man that intrigued her. He was her savior, the person who helped her in her time of need, and the manner in which he did it, made him look like a god to her. Perhaps he was a god? A god sent from heaven to protect the people of Rune-Midgard. Certainly, the world has changed already. There were too many people who wanted wealth, too many spies, thieves, assassins and rogues. There were no more people who wanted to become healers anymore. The world was becoming more corrupt.  
  
There was only one thing that Soyee could do, she could hope. There was no other alternative. If this man sitting beside her was not a god, at least he had the qualities to become a hero and change the destiny of Rune- Midgard.  
  
"Hey Soyee, get a load of this!" Pointing towards a small patch of green moss, Aeron softly patted it and sat down. The ground felt soft and comfortable and the morning dew was just starting to give off a wonderful smell. All was well with the world.  
  
"Isn't it just beautiful today?" asked Aeron.  
  
Smiling, Soyee nodded and took the child in her lap. Her cool touch ran over the child's injured arm and she saw the bruise starting to go away. Her magic was weak; it would be quite a whiles yet before she could heal the arm completely but at least she was trying. Feeling a little ashamed about the incident that morning, Soyee looked at Aeron to see if he felt anger towards her. Remembering what happened, Soyee could only anxiously watch Aeron when he wasn't watch her.  
  
That morning, Soyee had decided to teleport the three back to Prontera. Her magic had almost recovered and feeling confident that she would be able to teleport them, she had cast the spell. Unfortunately, she accidentally teleported them in the other direction and they were sent to a random area. Being set back from their course, Aeron had to find the right road again and with difficulty they had to trek back to their original spot. After that incident, Aeron decided that it might be safer to just hike back to Prontera without the use of magic.  
  
As if by instinct, Aeron turned his head and looked at Soyee. Embarrassed at being caught, Soyee bent her head and continued her healing of the small boy's arm. Aeron smiled. "What are you thinking?"  
  
"I'm thinking about this morning."  
  
Aeron looked in surprised at the girl, and then replied, "Don't worry about it, if it wasn't for you, we wouldn't be experiencing such beautiful scenery right now. It would be a shame to miss it don't you think?"  
  
Sighing, she rested her head on a patch of moss and watched the striking blue sky. It would be shame to lose this world indeed. 


	7. Tier, the Man

"Have you ever thought about the way things are back in the past? Back when people had to endure the dark times of the Great Wars?"  
  
Tier looked over at Myria. Combing her hair, she was leaning against the old oak trees and watching Tier as he watched his sword in the river.  
  
"I never thought about such useless things. The past is the past, let it go."  
  
Myria stubbornly shook her head. That was wrong. The past was not the past. Watching the man was something that became of habit to her. Everyday, it seemed that Tier taught her something new. Either how to control her magic, the way to fight an enemy without hurting oneself or something else about himself, she was as interested as a bear is towards honey.  
  
"The past is not the past. We can learn from the past. You yourself is haunted by the past." Realizing that she had said something that should not have been said, Myria covered her mouth.  
  
Glaring at the girl, Tier could not hide the surprise and frustration in his face. Roughly setting his sword back into its sheath, Tier headed towards the girl. Myria began shrinking back trying to get as close to the tree and as far away from Tier as possible.  
  
"I don't need you telling me what to think. I am not haunted by anything and you don't need to know about it even if I am."  
  
Hauling Myria up to her feet, he took their belongings and flung her knapsack towards her. "Come on. We have an hour's walk west to Geffen. Starting at a brisk pace, Tier did not look back nor wait for Myria to come. They walked in silence, battling the monsters only when necessary and Myria followed his instructions obediently. She practiced her basic skills, using her knife and constantly went over the rules of the magician's guild. Myria knew that she had touched upon something that had hurt Tier deeply and even though he was rather angry at her, Myria felt sorry for him. She wanted to ease his pain by helping him, but knew that Tier would never allow her to get close to him. Sighing constantly, she started to walk a little faster to catch up.  
  
Meanwhile, Aeron and Soyee finally had reached Prontera. They walked around the huge city looking for the mother of the child. Soyee decided to look in the Prontera Inn while Aeron went to the items shop to see if anyone there knew about the kid's mother. Holding to the hand of the child, Soyee desperately tried to ask the Inn keeper about the boy's mother, but many people came in and out and the inn keeper was unusually busy.  
  
"Please! I have business to do. If you're not here to stay, please leave."  
  
It was not use. The inn keeper was too busy to entertain the time for Soyee to ask questions. The boy's mother had probably gone from the Inn anyways. Feeling defeated, she towed the boy away from the counter. Suddenly, she had an idea. Soyee could go to the church and see if the boy's mother was there!  
  
Leaving the interior of the inn, she started walking rapidly with the boy towing behind her. They entered the church within a few minutes and looked around. A few people strolled around the corridors and a few priests were busy praying. The boy curiously looked around and then suddenly gave out a shout.  
  
"Momma!"  
  
Soyee looked up and saw a middle aged woman running towards the boy. Crying, the two reunited and held each other closely. The boy was excitedly chatting about his adventures while the woman inspected the boy for injuries. Finally the entire scene was starting to create a large crowd around the two and they were brought into a nearby room where they could talk at ease. Soyee decided to leave before she was targeted as the person who brought the boy back. Before she left the church though, she prayed quickly and asked for the blessing of the gods.  
  
Back in the items shop, Aeron had not found any clues as to where the boy's mother was but he heard a few gossips about his sister. It seemed that Tier was a high ranked lightning-fire mage. He was renowned for his power, but most of all, his cold temper. Worried that Myria would tick the man off, Aeron wondered where the two was and what they were doing.  
  
Her eyes, burning from the last fire attack, Myria sat down and rested. Tier sat beside her and started counting the goods. They had been attacking Porings and Fabres for an hour now. The Porings had apples stolen from the other travelers or had taken from the ground, while the Fabres had herbs which were able to heal many wounds. Their sudden attack on the monsters left the monsters surprised and they had left behind quite a large amount of items.  
  
"Aren't we almost at Geffen yet?" asked Myria. Examining her map, she was sure that Geffen should be nearby.  
  
Sighing, Tier looked up from the items in his lap. Pointing slightly south, he gestured towards a tree. Confused, Myria stood up and walked towards the tree. Walking past the bushes, she suddenly came face to face with a large Rocker. Screaming, Myria fell back and a fireball flew past her and scorched the Rocker. The monster's screams were high pitched and hard on the ears as it burned and fell to the ground. Holding Myria by the arms, Tier pulled her away from the mess. Crying, Myria held onto Tier and cried on his shoulders.  
  
After Myria's momentary breakdown, she felt rather embarrassed at being so scared of the Rockers but seeing the Rocker again had made her remember yesterday where she had been stuck with the group of them. Tier sighed and got up. He motioned for Myria to follow him and started following the path that led them to Geffen. The large spire of the Geffen Tower was just barely visible over the tree tops.  
  
Myria had never seen so many mages situated in one place. Many of the mages were sitting down in a sunlight area talking about potions and spells. Another group of mages were trading magical items while yet another was talking about their skills and what level their magic was at. Myria was fascinated with the magic-filled city. Everywhere, she looked; she saw man and woman with staffs and ornate garments.  
  
Before she could absorb everything in, Tier started walking through the crowds. Many of the magicians stopped and looked at Tier. Some started whispering while others bowed their head slightly. Curious, Myria walked faster until she was walking side by side with the man.  
  
"What are they whispering about?" she asked.  
  
Tier looked at her askance and then started walking slower. "If your young ears did not catch what they are saying, then mine will certainly not hear it either."  
  
Without another look back at Myria, he hurried through the crowds. Myria concentrated on following Tier but in the midst of walking, she caught snippets of other people's conversations.  
  
"Did you see? That was Tier ... greatest mage... Great Wars..."  
  
"Really? Tier ... was the...enormous power... great."  
  
Internalizing this new information, Myria thought about the possibilities to the sentences. Perhaps Tier was a great mage that fought in the Great War? But that would be impossible. To fight in the Great War, Tier must have been only eight at the time. How could a small boy fight against the enemy at the age of eight? Contemplating over this, Myria almost missed the Mage's guild and was prodded by Tier from behind.  
  
Snatching his staff playfully, Myria laughed and followed Tier into the building. Inside the simply decorated building, Tier turned towards Myria. Taking his staff out of her hands, he gently pushed her forwards towards a female guild member.  
  
"Myria. I have to go now, to do some other business. You'll probably have to go on your quest without me. Do you think that is possible?"  
  
Myria was scared fro a moment, Tier was leaving? Swallowing the lump that was in her throat, Myria bravely nodded her reply. Then surprised at herself, she suddenly threw her arms around Tier. "Thanks Tier. For everything. You've been a great teacher along the way here. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have made it this far. I hope we meet again, but before you go, could I ask you a question?"  
  
Surprised by her sudden show of affection, Tier was momentarily stunned. After a moment of silence, he slowly asked, "What is your question."  
  
Looking up at the white haired man, Myria smiled sadly, "Who are you?"  
  
Confused, Tier thought about the question. Smiling, he put his hand on Myria's head and slowly said, "I'll tell you the next time we meet."  
  
Sadly, Myria watched as the man walked out of the building without another backwards glance. Finally out of sight, Myria turned about and faced the guilds woman. It was time to apply for the job of her life. Time to get on the road to becoming a magician! 


	8. Payon's Aqueous Solution

"Okay, an aqueous solution from Payon. I need an aqueous solution from Payon." mumbled Myria as she walked on the worn out road east of the city Prontera. Myria had paid the Kafra personnel in Geffen to send her as far as Prontera. Looking through her knapsack, Myria sighed and looked about. It was such a long journey. Would she have enough provisions to get to Payon? She should have bought some more things back at Prontera.  
  
While mumbling, she didn't notice that the ground had become a lot softer and that it seemed to have more of a spring in it. Finally, the fake forest floor could no longer take Myria's weight and suddenly, she fell down into the large hole within the ground. Momentarily stunned, Myria realized that she had fallen into a trap. Yelling as loud as she can, she hoped that someone would hear her and help her out.  
  
At this moment, a young green haired huntress was feed her falcon when she heard the screams. The whole forest was deadened by the sound and the huntress whistled for her falcon to find the person who made the noise. As she ran, the huntress brought out a beautifully carved bow and readied it, in case of an attack.  
  
Looking up, Myria saw a young woman looking down at her. A few years older than Myria, the woman had a neatly tied green hair style and wore a peculiar costume. The woman offered her hand and Myria accepted it. Smiling, Myria thanked the woman.  
  
"Thank you so much. I never would have gotten out of there without your help. I thought I might have to spend the night in that hole." Myria said.  
  
Nodding, the woman stood up and brushed off the dirt from her clothes.  
  
"No problem. You'll have to help me set up this trap again though."  
  
Raising an eyebrow, Myria finally understood and laughed out loud. Looking down at the hole, she couldn't help but feel kind of dumb for falling into such a large opening.  
  
"Don't worry about it; by the way, my name is Nallia."  
  
Surprised that the woman read her mind, Myria didn't respond for a moment.  
  
"What are you doing here in the middle of the Payon forest?"  
  
Again, caught by surprise, Myria fumbled for the map of Rune-Midgard and studied it for a second. "I'm in the Payon forest?"  
  
"Of course. Where did you think you were?" laughed Nallia.  
  
"I thought I was still in the Prontera forests!"  
  
"Nope. You're just a few hours walk away from Payon." Excited about the new turn of events, Myria happily helped Nallia work on the new trap. While she worked, Myria explained to Nallia about her quest on finding the aqueous solution of Payon and how she needed it in order to become a magician.  
  
Hearing this, Nallia became quite interested. Whistling for her falcon, Phoenix, Nallia grabbed Myria by the arm and pulled her up.  
  
"Well come on then! Let's go to Payon. I haven't been back in the city since the day before and I'm already running out of traps. You'll help me set up my new ones though, right? I'll help you find that solution!"  
  
Grateful for the new companion and for some help on finding the solution, Myria nodded and happily followed Nallia through the Payon forest. This was a lot easier than she had thought it would be.  
  
In the meantime, Aeron had reunited with Soyee. "The little guy found his mom praying in the church. I guess the gods heard her prayer and brought him to her."  
  
Nodding, Aeron absentmindedly walked out of Prontera. "Where are you going now?" he asked.  
  
Looking uncomfortably towards Geffen, Aeron wondered what his sister was doing at the moment. Walking automatically, he didn't hear what Soyee answered to his question.  
  
"Aeron!"  
  
Where was his sister now? Did she become a magician? How come she didn't write to him? She knew he had a place at the guild, she could always contact him there...  
  
"Aeron!" Realizing that Soyee was shaking him, Aeron cleared his head and gazed at Soyee questioningly. "What is it?"  
  
Soyee pointed and Aeron looked up. In front of him, stood a large oak tree and Aeron had been absentmindedly trying to hack his way through. Soyee glanced at him curiously and silently pulled him to the side of the tree. Feeling sorry for the oak, Soyee brushed her hands against the damaged bark and didn't say a thing.  
  
"Sorry, Soyee. I wasn't thinking."  
  
Soyee shook her head and smiled sweetly back at him, "It's alright. You didn't hurt it much. Come on, we're heading towards Izlude right?"  
  
Agreeing, Aeron followed the path to Izlude and Soyee started to follow. Suddenly realizing that Soyee was following him, Aeron turned around and Soyee stopped abruptly. "What is it Aeron?"  
  
"Soyee...I haven't asked why you're still following me."  
  
Smiling, the girl glanced at Aeron. "You saved my life. I have to find a way to repay you. Since I can't do anything as of yet, I thought I could follow you around and you could teach me something. I'm sure my skills as an acolyte should come in handy some time in the future."  
  
Shaking his head, Aeron smiled. "You don't have to repay me at all. I didn't ask for retribution when I helped you and that kid. I'm supposed to protect others you know?" Pointing at his costume, Aeron smiled kindly at the girl. "I'm a swordsman, remember?"  
  
Laughing, Soyee nodded and punched him gently. "I know. I still want to repay you somehow. You'll let me follow you right?"  
  
Considering this, Aeron shook his head. "I'm going to be staying at the Swordsman's guild and if you're not a swordsman you can't stay there."  
  
"That's alright. I can stay in an inn or something. When you're in class, I'll find a job and work. I can also train and practice on a few of my skills. They are a little rusty, you know."  
  
Remembering the time that Soyee had transported them to an unknown area, Aeron laughed and concurred. "That's right they are rusty!" Playfully, he pinched Soyee's nose and ran off laughing.  
  
"Hey get back here!" Soyee followed Aeron and they teasingly ran towards Izlude.  
  
Back in Payon, Myria had entered the town of Payon. Staring in awe, she noticed the beautiful Asian-style buildings and the ancient beauty that emanated from the town. The people of Payon looked towards the new arrivals and smiled at Nallia. A man came up to Nallia and patted her falcon's head. "Well Phoenix, I see you've been taking good care of Nallia."  
  
"Ah, Quin. You're back from your mission? You found your wife?"  
  
The man named Quin grinned. He posed with his strong muscular arms and pointed towards a woman who was checking her bow and arrows. As if she knew they were talking about her, the woman looked up and waved at Nallia. Walking towards them, she portrayed grace and beauty.  
  
Myria watched as the long dark haired archer walked up and hugged Nallia. With a flurry of motion, her hands moved as if they were dancing. Watching curiously, Myria tried to follow the motion of the hands but at times they were so fast that she couldn't possibly known what the woman was doing.  
  
In a similar manner, Nallia pointed at herself and started moving her hands as well. Myria thought 'was this a tradition in the city of Payon or was it some kind of magic?'  
  
Laughing, the man placed a large arm on Myria's shoulders. "Don't worry about what the two of them are saying. My wife can't speak and therefore, she speaks with her hands."  
  
Realizing this, Myria blushed a deep shade of red. Feeling the eyes of the graceful woman upon her, Myria felt like shrinking. She had thought they were performing a ritual or something to do with magic.  
  
Finally Nallia stopped her hand movements and hugged the woman again. "Quin, Sasha, I would like you to meet my new friend, Myria Dechant. Myria, this is Quin and this is his wife Sasha."  
  
Bowing, the couple smiled warmly at Myria. Quin took Myria's hands and shook them. Feeling like her arm would fall off any moment; Myria forced a smile on her face and tried to bear the pain. Sasha noticed the change in her smile and nudged Quin. Sheepishly Quin stopped shaking her hands and looked at his wife. With a gentle hand, Sasha rubbed Myria's arms with a mint smelling lotion and smiled sweetly at the young girl.  
  
While Sasha tended to Myria's arms, Nallia conversed with Quin about the aqueous solution. It seemed that a man in Payon had the solution but was unwilling to give the solution over. Due to the fact that many novices had been rude to him and over time he couldn't take it anymore. It would be hard to convince the man that Myria was different.  
  
After a momentary rest at Sasha and Quin's house, Myria and Nallia headed out to find the man who held the aqueous solution of Payon. Hours of searching later, Nallia sat down on a nearby stone and groaned. They were currently very close to the Archer's guild and Nallia decided to go inside and get some refreshments. Myria stood outside feeling hot and thirsty.  
  
Suddenly a man clad in white bumped into her. Smelling like he had quite a few jugs of beer, the man smiled and burped rudely towards Myria. Backing away in fear, she tried to get away from the smell that offended her nose. The man walked closer to her and breathed heavily. "Do you have an empty test tube for me?"  
  
Myria's brow furrowed and she watched the drunken man. Nallia came out at this instant and started shouting at the man to get away from her. Before Nallia could come any closer though, Myria smiled and rummaged through her knapsack for an empty test tube. Taking out a few potion bottles, she offered the test tube and potion bottles towards the drunken man. Gazing at the bottles, the man smiled. He took the test tube and filled it with a clear looking solution. "Hope you become a good magician, young girl." Straightening his clothes, the man walked off, apparently not as drunk as the two girls had thought he was. Taking a sniff at the solution in the test tube, Myria smiled and laughed happily. They had found the aqueous solution of Payon. They had found it at last! Nallia joined in the celebrations and they both happily walked back towards town where they told Sasha and Quin about their discovery.  
  
That night, after the celebrations, Myria stared at the beautiful starry night outside her window. It had been a long time since she had slept in a bed and it bothered her that she felt uncomfortable. The next day, Myria would have to go back to Geffen. Nallia had offered to go with Myria and help her along her journey as a magician. Looking at her friend, Myria felt lucky to find someone who was so kind and caring. She was a lucky girl indeed. 


	9. Becoming A Mage

Dressed in a beautiful new robe and the customary costume of the mages, Myria twirled around in wonder. She had been given her new garments by the guild members and she was taught a few simple magic skills. Myria had the option of training with the other guild members or going out on her own. Training with other mages was useful but Myria would never leave Nallia. Therefore, walking out of Geffen, the two wondered the forests of Geffen and started their training.  
  
With wonder, Nallia explored the forests of Geffen and documented all the new monsters that she found there. "These monsters are so much more different than the ones in the Payon forest."  
  
"Yeah, but Porings are everywhere. I don't know how many times I had to fight a Poring to keep it from eating my food."  
  
Nodding, Nallia expertly set up a trap on the ground and waited patiently behind a bush for a monster to stroll into the trap. Turning towards Myria, Nallia studied the new garments that Myria donned. "You don't look like a young novice anymore, Myria."  
  
"Of course not!"  
  
"No. What I meant was that you look more mature now. You don't look like a little girl anymore."  
  
Grinning, Myria nodded. "Yup. I'm all grown up now. I wish my brother could see me like this."  
  
Taken aback Nallia stared at Myria. "You never told me you had a brother!"  
  
Raising an eyebrow Myria glanced at Nallia, "I didn't?"  
  
"Nu-uh."  
  
"Well, he's really nice and he's training to become a great swordsman."  
  
As the two waited for the traps to spring, Myria told Nallia about her rough childhood and how Aeron was always there to keep her company. Nallia nodded in sympathy and listened to the stories of how Myria used to get her brother in trouble but Aeron would never tell on Myria. Feeling a tug in her heart, Nallia wondered what Aeron looked like and whether or not he was really as great as Myria had said. All men now seemed to be interested only in themselves. Men tended to become more self-centered and likely to only like a girl for one thing...  
  
Sighing, Nallia tried to keep her thoughts from becoming evident in her face. Suddenly the two girls heard a snap and Nallia sprung from the bushes and looked at her traps. Hurriedly, Nallia picked up the stolen items from a nearby pile and grabbed the remains of the monster. Looking at the corpse in sympathy, she buried it underneath a nearby rock.  
  
"It's too bad; these monsters have gone crazy in the last few years. It's really too bad, some of them are so cute."  
  
"You're right. I've always wondered what it would be like to have a pet. I see people with monster-pets all the time."  
  
Nallia shook her head and petted her falcon. "Those pets try to run away any chance they have. Some aren't as loyal as falcons are."  
  
Smiling to herself, Myria dreamt about having a pet. While she was dreaming, Nallia scanned the floor for any more items. While she was on the floor she heard a snap of the twig and she quickly stood up and prepared her bow. Aiming in the direction of the noise, Nallia waited patiently. Myria snapped out of her day dream and kneeled beside Nallia. Myria felt the fire trying to force their way out of her skin. Her new staff lay in her hands and it pulsed, ready for action.  
  
The two girls tensed as they saw a shadow emerge from behind a tree, before the two of them could shoot their weapons at the shadow however; Myria noticed the familiar staff that the shadowed figure held.  
  
"Wait! That's my friend, Tier."  
  
Smiling, the man raised his arms and emerged from the shadows. Handsomely dressed in a fresh new robe, he smiled and for the first time, Myria saw the smile reach his eyes.  
  
"Well, well, well. The young duckling has developed into a swan."  
  
Tier walked up to Myria and patted her softly on her head. Looking at her new getup, Tier walked slowly around her. Nallia felt the calculating glance run over her and she shivered. This man seemed to be nice but there was coldness about him. Watching Tier frigidly, Nallia put away her bow and arrow but kept the dagger at her side handy.  
  
"Tier! You're back! Where did you go to? It seems like days since you left."  
  
Tier watched the girl bounce around him. He smiled. There was something about Myria that made him happy. Tier hadn't thought about coming back to find her, but he felt that there was something special about Myria that attracted him to her. As he watched Myria's happy outcries, Tier noticed that the green haired girl was silent and regarding him with caution.  
  
Myria smiled and motioned for Nallia to come closer. "Nallia, this is Tier. Tier's the mage that I keep mentioning. He helped me to get to Geffen."  
  
Nallia forced a smiled and walked a little closer. "Nice to meet you Tier."  
  
The trio walked to a nearby tree and sat down. Tier brought out some crackers while Myria boiled some water for tea. Nallia made arrows while she watched the others work.  
  
"So Myria, have you been practicing your fire magic? I hear you have great talent with it."  
  
Smiling, Myria created a fireball in the palm of her hands. Most magicians would control the fire ball with their staffs but Myria felt more at ease without using a staff. Holding the fireball closer to her body, she let the magic fire warm her.  
  
"It's just as grandmother said, once you're a magician, everything is easier. I can feel the magic flowing through me and it feels so..."  
  
"Intoxicating." Interrupted Nallia.  
  
Tier watched the huntress with more interest. There was something that she didn't want to tell them. Something that concerned her past. Checking himself he contemplated this. He had something that he was hiding from the two of them too. He had a past which he didn't want to remember. He had no right to think that of others. With a cold smile, Tier started to eat.  
  
That night, Myria awoke and saw Tier sitting in a tree branch. The familiar music reached her ears and it was heart wrenching to hear. Something felt familiar about the music; some part of the melody seemed to be coming from herself. When Tier stopped singing, Myria started climbing the tree. Looking out towards the never ending forest, the night seemed to be filled with mysteries. Finally reaching Tier's branch, she inched herself forward until she sat beside the man.  
  
With tired eyes, Tier glanced at Myria. She was humming and smiling as the moonlight illuminated her beautiful face. Realizing that she was humming his tune, Tier was silent as he thought back to the time someone taught him the melody to the song. Without realizing it, Tier started humming along with Myria and the two completed the song.  
  
Tearful, Myria bent her head and watched her feet dangling off the ground. Finally turning to Tier, she smiled encouragingly and asked, "Who are you?"  
  
Remembering the question, Tier momentarily remained silent. Gently wiping away the tears from Myria's eyes, he watched her young face look at him expectantly.  
  
Finally, he opened his mouth and replied, "I'm Tier. Fire and lightning mage of the First Order. I search for something — that of which I do not know. I am the Boy in the Great Wars, a creator of the Dark Seal."  
  
All his titles, his accomplishments were recited to Myria but she felt there was something he was hiding from her. "All this I have done, but I myself do not know who I am. I have lost myself ten years ago."  
  
Tier looked towards the horizon and listened to the forest sounds. The song of the grasshoppers was soft and seducing. He had said it all. There was nothing left to say except for that one secret. The secret to his life, a secret that he himself could not discover.  
  
Suddenly, he felt Myria's hands on his. Tenderly Myria put her arms around him and softly whispered in his ear. "It's alright. I'm here."  
  
Quietly they held each other and watched the moon in the darkest of nights.  
  
The next morning, the trio set off to the desert in search of the Ant Hell.  
  
"I hear that the Ant Hell is a common place for merchants and swordsman to venture to. Supposedly, it is the best training grounds for people to perfect their skills." Said Nallia.  
  
"Yes. You're absolutely right. Many adventurers go there to find treasure and perhaps to kill the Ant queen. Those who can do so are honored by all of Rune-Midgard. If you are to train, you could perhaps help in ridding the ant eggs. "Added Tier.  
  
Hiking across the barren lands of the desert, Myria thought about the Ant Hell and she anxiously wondered what her brother was doing. As they neared the hole in the ground, Myria became even more anxious. A desperate series of cries issued forth from the dungeon.  
  
Tier turned towards the two girls. "You guys ready?"  
  
Nodding, the two girls looked at each other and smiled encouragingly. Holding hands, they descended into the dark dungeon, the unearthly screams offending their ears. 


	10. Ant Hell

Believing that the dungeon would be dark, Myria was ready to light up the cave with some fire magic, but she was surprised to find that the cave was not dark at all. Curious, she walks up to a hole which emits light and watches the fire burst from the cavity. Instinctively, she knew that the fire was burning magically and would never put out.  
  
Turning back, Tier smiled encouragingly at Myria. "The first adventurers to ever come across this place, decided to light the place up. The magic in this place have been here ever since I was young. There are stories about the people who have first found this place, but I will not tell you the stories here."  
  
Nallia curiously walked around the opening and found a massive pile of eggs. She poked it and was surprised to find that the eggs pulsed. Examining the masses more closely, Nallia touched the warm egg. Suddenly a large red ant appeared from behind the eggs and bit Nallia on the arm.  
  
In pain, she stumbled to get her dagger. Before the ant could attack her again, Tier sent a lightning bolt which destroyed the ant in a second. Relieved, Myria ran up to Nallia and asked if she was alright. Bleeding profusely, Nallia shook her head. Tier opened his sack and brought out various potions and herbs. The two helped Nallia bandage her hand. Drinking the potion, Nallia felt much more better.  
  
"Thanks a lot guys."  
  
The three walked quietly, motioning whenever they came across an ant. Nallia and Myria were in charge of attacking the ants and if they ever needed help, Tier would always step in. In this fashion, they traveled down the long corridors, exploring the caves.  
  
Suddenly, they came in contact with a blue haired merchant. Panting from battling two ants, the man was sitting down as he tried to grab all the items on the floor. Myria picked a purple stone and examined it.  
  
"Hey! That's mine!"  
  
Surprised, Myria dropped the stone and stepped back. The merchant screamed and ran up to the stone. Picking the stone up he examined it and polished it.  
  
"You almost broke my garnet! You know what you almost did?"  
  
Myria backed away — right into Tier. Tier walked stiffly up to the merchant and watched as he picked up the rest of his items. "Apologize to her right now!" he said coldly.  
  
Still polishing the purple stone, the merchant ignored Tier. Packing the rest of his stuff into his cart, he prepared to walk away. Suddenly a sharp pain was felt on his hind leg and looking down, he saw that his pants had caught on fire. Dropping the garnet, the merchant dropped on the floor in a panic and started rolling. His shouts echoed off the walls and caught the attention of a ground of nearby ants. Storming towards the group, they surrounded them three to one.  
  
"What do we do now?" asked Nallia.  
  
"We wait." Came the calm answer. Kicking the merchant on the leg, Tier walked towards Myria. Whispering softly, he took her hands and gave her his staff. "Let's see you do some damage."  
  
Smiling, besides herself, Myria looked at the staff. The beautiful carvings along it's base gave her a feeling of immense power, which flowed into her arms. Taking the staff, she gently touched the bark. Again, Tier repeated, "You can do it."  
  
Nodding slightly, Myria closed her eyes. The magic within her stirred and she felt the fire rousing from her heart. A magnificent flame started to glow at the end of the staff. With a simple thrust, Myria watched as the flames engulfed one of the ants and sent the rest scattered. Another thrust awarded her with the sight of two more ants on the floor and Nallia joined in by shooting an ant through the hind quarters. The battle didn't last long. They had both fought well and they had been training.  
  
Tier smiled and looked at the debris. Noticing that the merchant was taking the stuff on the floor, he kicked the merchant hard on his behind. "That stuff isn't yours. Leave it now."  
  
Myria watched the merchant whimper. Holding out two garnets and some honey, she offered it to the merchant. Looking at the things that she held, the merchant shook his head.  
  
"No take it. We burned your pants. I don't have much zennies but I hope this is enough to compensate you for them."  
  
Tier looked at the girl and shook his head. She was too kind. Taking the rest of the items, he stuffed them into her knapsack and watched as she chatted with the merchant. Her laughter came so naturally, which made him in turn feel happy. Nallia observed the slow smile cross Tier's face and wondered whether or not the rumors about the man were true...  
  
A while later, Myria and Nallia were in the Prontera inn watching the innkeeper's pet Poring. Feeding it some apple juice, they laughed as the Poring performed for them. Holding the mass of jelly seemed to be a difficult task but Myria finally got the Poring to sit in her lap. Stroking it, she marveled at it's smooth surface and the softness of it's body.  
  
"It's a pity that most monsters don't like to be touched. Why do you think all the monsters have become so aggressive lately?" asked Myria.  
  
Nallia petted the Poring, "I don't know. Everyone just kills them to get the items or to learn more skills. No one really cares about the monsters. Maybe they're becoming more aggressive as a way to fight back."  
  
Myria nodded. Upon looking up, Myria saw Tier looking at her. Dressed in a white robe with beautiful designs which enabled the wearer to perform magic with ease, Tier had on a soft look, as if remembering something. Walking up to Tier, Myria felt more at ease with the man. He was becoming a dear companion to her and having him close made her happy.  
  
"Tier, have you heard any news about my parents?" asked Myria eagerly.  
  
Tier's face hardened and he seemed to stand more rigidly. "No. I'm afraid there's no news yet."  
  
Sighing, Myria looked down at the Poring at her side. It was bouncing around the two of them as if begging for food. Myria shook her head and guided it back towards the innkeeper. Looking back, she noticed Tier holding something in his hand.  
  
Seeing Myria noticing the package, Tier smiled and walked forward. "Here. This is for you." Opening the package, she was surprised to see a blue egg with a beautiful symbol in the middle. Myria was speechless as she inspected the egg. "This...this is..."  
  
"A Poring egg!" finished Nallia. She took the egg from Myria and inspected the outer shell. Softly cradling the egg in her arm, she smiled. "It's a good egg too. Must be worth a fortune."  
  
A new voice said, "It certainly was."  
  
The group looked up and saw the merchant, Brent. Brent donned a funny looking panda hat which covered the top of his head perfectly. In his hand, he held a funny looking machine.  
  
Myria exclaimed, "Brent! Where did you come from?"  
  
Brent smiled happily and offered the funny looking machine to Myria. "I was returning from the Ant Hell. It seemed like I owed you something."  
  
"Oh no. You didn't owe us anything. In fact, we were the ones who burned your pants."  
  
Laughing Brent shook his head. "Anyways, I seemed to recall that you wanted a pet. I of course a bunch in stock but since this fellow here already bought you an egg (from me), I'll give the incubator to you as a present."  
  
"An incubator! Thank you! Show me how it works!"  
  
Excitedly, Myria watched as Brent took the egg from her and set it in its position in the incubator. A soft sound came from the incubator and instantly the egg started to heat up. A moment later, a spark of light issued forth and when the light died down, Myria was delighted to find a cute little Poring bouncing towards her.  
  
"A Poring! It's so cute!"  
  
Nallia walked towards the Poring and Myria. Taking an apple juice from her knapsack, she offered it to Myria, who in turn fed it to the Poring. "What are you going to name it" asked Nallia.  
  
"I haven't thought of it yet. Maybe later."  
  
The group spent the rest of the morning shopping and relaxing. Myria showed her Poring the whole of Prontera and the Poring was especially happy whenever they rounded the corner and was met head on with a hoard of merchants. The various odors of food cooking and wonderful varieties of fruits were welcome to the group.  
  
Walking up to a vendor, Myria ordered some cooked PecoPeco meat with a side dish of honeyed sweet potatoes. Buying some apples, she fed her Poring while watching the adventurers of Midgard bargain for prices. Suddenly a familiar voice said, "You've become more beautiful the last time we met." Nallia's voice floated from amongst the crowd, "And you've become more full of yourself."  
  
Looking around, Myria wondered where the voices were coming from.  
  
"Oh come on. Just give me a date. Just one date. It's all that I ask."  
  
"No! Go on. I believe that girl there is waiting for you." Answered Nallia.  
  
"Look, she's just a friend. I'm teaching her and I'm protecting her from the stronger monsters but other than that, we don't have that kind of chemistry."  
  
"We don't have that kind of chemistry either."  
  
Suddenly, a man in a swordsman's clad was visible. He was chasing Nallia around while a young acolyte stared at the two in wonderment. Looking at the familiar build of the man, Myria walked closer. The red hair was just visible under the metal helm. A sudden realization shocked Myria. She ran towards the red haired man and her Poring tried to keep up.  
  
"Aeron! Aeron, is it really you?" Flinging herself into the surprised arms of the swordsman, she looked up at the familiar face.  
  
"Myria? Myria! It's you! I've been trying to find you in Geffen, but they say that you're still training with Tier. How are you?"  
  
The two siblings laughed and talked non stop. They were oblivious to the bewilderment of Nallia and Soyee. The two felt like outsiders watching the siblings run on and on about how they had learned many things and matured. Sitting down, they decided to introduce themselves and talk about other things. That was how Tier and Brent found the four of them.  
  
Raising an eyebrow, Tier observed Aeron and Myria talk. There were occasional hugs and usual laughter. The two seemed to not have seen each other for a year. "Well, Aeron. I see you've grown stronger these past few months." Interrupted Tier.  
  
Looking up, Aeron looked at Tier. There was a huge change from the last time they met. Tier had a certain glow to him and a sparkle in his eye made him look like he was constantly laughing. Suspicious of the man, Aeron nodded and asked, "And how are you?"  
  
"Better." Was the response.  
  
Aeron nodded again and looked at Brent. Surprise was apparent as he stared at the Panda Hat. Trying to cover his smile, Aeron nodded his acknowledgement of Brent and looked away. Hurt that Aeron was laughing at his hat, Brent took the thing off and glared at the group. Stuffing the hat back in his cart, Brent sat a while back and donned on his familiar Sakkat. Setting up his stall, the group observed as he put the Panda Hat on sale.  
  
"Oh come on Brent. Don't be like that." Myria tried to get Brent to put on the Panda Hat again, but Brent didn't talk to her. Instead he looked away and started rummaging in his cart. Watching him set his items and ordering them, Myria felt a little sad. Suddenly a photo in his cart caught her eye. Standing next to a younger Brent was a red haired man with a fiery look. Laughing as if the two of them had heard something hilarious, the two men posed for the camera.  
  
"Brent! You know this man?" Pointing towards the red haired man in the photo, Myria excitedly shouted towards the merchant.  
  
Snatching the photo back, Brent looked almost guilty. Making sure that he didn't dent the picture, Brent looked at Myria. What could he do now? There was no denying it any longer, they would find out sooner or later.  
  
Clearing his throat, Brent looked at Myria and the approaching Aeron.  
  
"Yes. Yes I do. He was a friend of mine. My best friend..." 


	11. The Fire in Izlude

"It was a long time ago when the Great Wars were just rumors. Your mother and I were best friends. We traveled with her father for many years and learned many things. Your mother was a great acolyte. She was so caring to everything big and small. We met your father a few days in our travel to Aldebaran. He was injured and needed help. Of course your mother was the one to help him."  
  
Brent sighed and continued, "They were destined to meet. After their first meeting, they kept on meeting each other by accident. It was either that or your father kept on following us." Laughing, Myria attentively listened.  
  
"One day, your mother just decided to elope with your father. I had become his best friend by that time and I was the only one they told about their plans. Believe me I was shocked at their decision but I respected it." Brent looked down at his hands. "I missed your mother. She disappeared with your father for about a month and we never heard anything from them."  
  
Looking at Aeron, he smiled. "Then, your mother and father came back. They begged your grandfather for forgiveness and announced that your mother was pregnant. Celebrations were made and life was happy. But suddenly the Great Wars happened." Here, Brent looked cautiously at Tier. Arching his eyebrow, Tier looked away. "It was a horrible time. Your mother gave birth to Aeron and she was kept from the war, but your father and I helped in defending our town. I developed a greater relationship with your father fighting as his comrade.  
  
"Then one day, your father and mother seemed to have changed. They stopped talking to me about their secrets. They kept something from me and no matter how much I begged it from them, they never let on as to what it was. The Great War waged on for another two years and they seemed to disappear off to some unknown place. The elders said that they were needed somewhere else. That they had duties to their country."  
  
Tier cleared his throat and Brent once again gave him a look. "The Great War ended abruptly a few months after the third year into the war. Everyone celebrated but your mother and father couldn't come back to the city until a year after that. You were then born Myria."  
  
Smiling at Myria, he continued, "I then moved off to live in Izlude. Ever since then, I've been writing to your mother and father. That was...until that dreadful fire. I tried to find news of them. I did! But they seemed to have disappeared. All I know is that the two of you had gone off to live with your grandmother."  
  
"Why didn't you come see us?" asked Aeron.  
  
"I couldn't. I couldn't take the time off from looking for your parents. When I saw Myria in Ant Hell, I knew that she was your mother's daughter. I tested Myria in the dungeon and she acted just as her mother would." Standing up to stretch, Brent looked down at Myria. "You are the splitting image of your mother. She said once in her letter that she loved the two of you and no matter what happens, she'll always look after you. You know that right?"  
  
The two siblings looked at each other. Myria's eyes were beginning to turn red while Aeron had a rigid look as if he was trying to contain himself. "She left us! How can she take care of us now?" Aeron stood up and shook his head. Storming away, he muttered under his breath.  
  
"Don't mind him." Myria looked at his brother and sighed. "Please continue."  
  
"Your father wrote to me a few months after the fire. They said that they had some things to do. I was so relieved that they weren't dead. I wanted to tell you, but in the letter, your father cautioned me that you were not to know. Not yet."  
  
"Why?" eagerly Myria leaned towards the merchant.  
  
"Another Great War might occur. The enemy forces start to build up their weapon supplies. The government is collaborating with Kafra Corp to build machines that can counteract the enemy's weapons. All blacksmiths are called to help out. Your father and mother are somehow involved in this whole affair."  
  
Tier looked off into the distance. He nodded slightly when he heard that there might be another war. There were many signs pointing to this. "It's getting late. Let us go back to the inn and rest. Let Myria and Aeron absorb all this."  
  
Brent nodded in agreement and took down his stall. Soyee helped out while Nallia went to get Aeron. Tier watched Myria stare at the glowing moon and started towards her. "You okay?"  
  
Smiling Myria nodded. "I'll find them. I'll find them and help them in whatever they're doing."  
  
Tier watched as the girl repeated this. He placed an arm around her and softly whispered, "You'll find them. You will." Looking up at Tier, Myria felt tears slip down her cheeks and Tier gently wiped them away. Myria placed her head in the crook of his arm and said, "I miss them so much." Tier sighed and softly stroked the back of her head, combing the loose strands of hair away from her face. "I know."  
  
The next morning, Myria awoke to a beautiful day. She didn't remember walking back to the inn nor getting into bed. Curiously looking around the room, she noticed her Poring snoring loudly. Smiling, Myria walked towards the Poring and stroked it gently on its head. The Poring awoke and yawned. Opening it's mouth, it seemed to beg for food. Taking out an extra bottle of apple juice, Myria fed the Poring and went to change her clothes.  
  
Donning a fresh set of mage's robes, Myria carried her Poring down the steps and met her companions at the inn's table. Sitting down, she exclaimed at the wide variety of food that Brent offered them.  
  
"Good morning, Sleepy Head." Aeron smiled and gently nudged Myria as she sat down between him and Tier.  
  
"Good morning, yourself. By the way, how did I get to my room?" Myria asked as she reached for a glass of orange juice.  
  
Smiling, Soyee timidly looked up. "Tier carried you to your room. He was quite gentlemanly about it."  
  
Blushing Myria drank down the rest of her orange juice. Looking at Tier she mumbled softly, "Thanks."  
  
Tier didn't even look at her as he said, "Don't worry about it."  
  
The group finished the meal and hurriedly paid their fees. Walking out in the morning light, Myria smiled with happiness. Turning towards Brent she asked, "What did my dad work as?"  
  
Caught off guard, Brent stumbled a bit. Pulling his cart behind him, Brent shook his head. "You're father never really told us what job he worked as."  
  
Curious, Aeron asked, "How could you not know?"  
  
"Well, first of all, your father never really liked wearing the traditional costume of the different classes. We always saw him wear different clothing all the time. He would always follow the fashion trends." Smiling Brent adjusts his new red bandana. "I never knew saw him wear anything twice."  
  
Aeron thought hard about his early years as a child. He remembered how his father and mother would fight over his dad's job. About how dangerous it was. What did he work as? Over time, his father told them that he had retired, that he had quit his job to protect the family. To spend more time with him.  
  
Myria watched as Aeron walked slowly beside her. A frown was starting to etch itself on his face. Realizing that Aeron must be thing about their father, Myria prodded him lightly, "What is it?"  
  
Aeron looked at her in surprise. "Nothing. Just nothing."  
  
Myria shook her head and looked at her brother sideways. Finally giving up, she walked up to Tier and touched him gently, "So now what are we going to do?"  
  
Tier was deep in thought. Smiling softly at Myria he shook his head and said, "I'm not quite sure. It seems to me that this oncoming war will be quite dangerous. We need to know the plans of the enemy. We must prepare."  
  
Contemplating on this, Myria nodded. Nallia suddenly stopped walking and pointed to the west. "Look! There's smoke coming from Izlude!"  
  
Immediately the whole group turned to see the large billow of smoke rising from the city walls. Aeron was totally shocked; he stood with his mouth open watching the city's people running out of the gates.  
  
"Come on! Let's go help them!" Brent ran with great speed towards the fallen town. Fire spread through the different stalls and different buildings and built up strength. The Swordsman's guild was set on fire and many swordsmen were trying to put it out. A young man was being carried by three older men, trying to get him away from the dangerous flames. All over the city, chaos issued.  
  
The group tried to help carry the wounded and stop the fire from spreading. Soyee set up a small first aid station with the other available acolytes and started healing those that were unconscious and needed healing. Myria and Tier used their magic to stop the fire from spreading to the remaining buildings and Nallia sent her falcon to get help. Brent took bottle after bottle of red potion to the wounded and helped with the wreckage while Aeron joined the other guildsman in drenching the fire with water nearby.  
  
After the fire was stopped, the whole group turned to look at the castle. Throughout the whole ordeal, no guards had helped the city. No one from the castle had come to aid the citizens of Izlude. Feeling completely angry, Aeron stormed towards the castle gates. The usual guard was missing from his post and the gates stood open.  
  
A sound silence came from within the castle. As the day was coming to an end, the group could not see as well in the dark as they would have other wise. Myria and Tier set up magical flames which followed them and lighted the way. Concentrating on keeping his anger in check, Aeron led the rest of the group deep into the castle.  
  
Within the throne room, they saw something that Aeron could never forget. The king seemed to be missing and the whole room had a stench which filled the noses of those who walked within three feet of the throne room. Opening the gates, Aeron and the rest of the band was greeted with a mass of corpses — all belonging to the castle guards. 


	12. The War is Beginning

Myria screamed and buried her head into Tier's chest as Nallia backed out of the room and feeling extremely sick. Tier and Brent observed the scene with cold faces and Aeron held Soyee from falling to the ground.  
  
After a thorough examination from Tier and Brent, the two concluded that it was the work of the enemy. There were scorch marks on many of the guards, which meant that the famous Ghetto death clan magicians had joined the enemy ranks. Many of the guards also died to what were sword wounds, tipped with poison.  
  
"Assassins!" Brent stormed around the room watching Soyee perform cleaning rituals and ceremonies over the dead. Many of the town's folk had ventured into the room to help with the clearing of the dead. Acolytes helped comfort the friends and families of those dead and priests joined Soyee in the rituals.  
  
"Yes Assassins. By the looks of it, from the South." Answered Tier.  
  
Taking a shard of a broken sword from a priest, Tier examined it. The mages and the priests all had a respect for Tier. They answered to him and showed great respect for any command Tier may have for them. These arouse suspicions among the group of young people.  
  
Suddenly Tier looked at the group and cleared his throat. Seeing Myria look at him expectedly, he said, "I suppose you'll follow me wherever I go?"  
  
Myria smiled and walked up to him, "Of course."  
  
Tier shook his head and sighed. "I'm going to the enemy's head quarters. It will be very dangerous. You may lose your life Myria. Will you still follow me?"  
  
Myria looked him in the eye and said quite clearly for all to hear. "Yes. I will."  
  
Tier smiled sadly and hugged Myria briefly. Looking at the rest of the group, he asked for forgiveness for leaving and starts to walk away. Before he can take a step though Aeron stood up and blocked his way. "You're not going anywhere with my sister, unless I'm going with the two of you."  
  
Nallia and Soyee also stood up. "Same here." The two smiled at each other and walked up to Tier. Brent looked around and sighed. "I'm too old for this."  
  
Taking off the red bandana, Brent put on his old panda hat and smiled. "There, much better." Taking a few steps towards the door, Brent turned back and said, "Well? You guys coming or what? I'm not quite sure where the enemy's head quarters are."  
  
The whole group laughed and walked out of the castle. As they left, the high priests looked at each other. There would have to be a ceremony to pray for their safe return.  
  
It had been three days since they had journeyed from Izlude towards the south. Along the way, there were many southern soldiers that were terrorizing the land. Myria and Nallia practiced their skills on these soldiers and were rewarded by the soldier's immediate defeat and retreat.  
  
As they walked towards Comodo, Myria admired all the different customs of the people of Midgard. Within a week's time, they would reach the southern waters and they would have to fight. Would Myria be able to see such beautiful lands again?  
  
As if thinking the same thing as Myria, Aeron walked up to her and put an arm on her shoulder. "Don't worry. I'll protect you."  
  
Myria smiled softly and started walking. "What do you think we'll be doing when we get there?"  
  
Aeron looked surprised, "Of course we're going to sabotage their plans and kill anyone who stands in our way!"  
  
Myria sighed, "That's what I'm afraid of."  
  
That night, she watched the silent forest animals around the forests. A sudden sound made Myria jump as she turned around and tried to see through the shadows. Crouched on the ground, was Tier and in his arms, he held Wen and Tye.  
  
Growling, Tier asked the two boys, "What are the two of you doing here?"  
  
Noticing Myria, Wen quickly stopped fighting and smiled mischievously, "Hi there, lady. Remember me?"  
  
Rolling her eyes, Myria shook her head. "Tier, I know the two of them."  
  
Arching an eyebrow, Tier let Wen and Tye go. "You know two no good thieves?"  
  
Sighing, Myria nodded and motioned for Wen and Tye to sit by her. Running away from Tier, the two boys sat down and Myria noticed the shoes they wore. Trimmed with soft fur on the bottom of the shoes, the two boys were able to run without making any sound on the hard ground.  
  
Turning towards them, Myria asked, "What are you guys doing around here? If Aeron sees you, he'll have your head for taking away all our equipments and zennies."  
  
Blushing, Tye stood up and bowed slowly. "Sorry. I really didn't want to, but Wen said that we needed zennies to join the thief's guild."  
  
Scowling, Wen glared at Tye. "Well we did, didn't we?" Myria stopped listening to their bickering and looked up at Tier. The man was staring at the two boys with astonishment and the look sent laughter rolling through Myria. Unable to stop laughing, it was her turn to receive the stares from the three people around her.  
  
Tier sat down next to the exhausted Myria and patted her on the back, "What exactly was that?"  
  
"You should have seen the look on your face!" Myria smiled and turned towards Wen and Tye. "So what did you say you were here for?"  
  
"Well we were just adventuring away from Morroc and happened by these forests. We're here to see the Great Mage. The Boy in the Great Wars. I have a few items that may help him AND we hear that the Great Mage's items are VERY rare to get. Perhaps we could trade with him?"  
  
Tier started blushing and shook his head. Walking away from the two boys, he sat a distance off as if thinking. Noticing that he was in hearing distance, Myria smiled to herself. Is he trying to eavesdrop?  
  
Myria turned to Wen and Tye and shook her head stubbornly. "I believe the Great Mage would not want to talk to you."  
  
Tye looked disappointed and Wen looked confused. "You know the Great Mage?"  
  
Myria nodded. "Of course. I traveled with him many times before."  
  
Wen smiled. "Then I'll trade you some secrets and you tell me where he is."  
  
Myria thought about this. "What are the secrets about? They must be good to trade for his whereabouts." Myria noticed Tier's shaking body. Is he laughing or is he angry?  
  
"Well, I know that the southern enemy is getting ready to fire on Comodo. They have been sneaking pass the guards there for a whole month now, but they want to take over the fun loving city. So I believe their ranks hidden among the Comodo people are going to fight any time soon."  
  
This Myria thought to be very interesting, "What else is there?" Hiding the strong emotions within her, Myria tried to contain her anger.  
  
"That's not good enough?" Myria shook her head. "Well then, the enemy is also saying that they have captured two of our spies. A man and a woman. If we do not surrender Prontera, they're going to die. I hear these spies are actually heroes in the Great War. They sabotaged the Enemy King's plan, along with the Great Mage."  
  
Myria noticed Tier getting up, "The Great Mage knew the two spies?"  
  
"That's what I heard." Wen stopped talking and looked at Myria expectedly, "Where's the Great Mage now?"  
  
"Tell me more about these secrets. Do you know more?"  
  
Wen frowned, "I hear that the Enemy King is launching a full magical assault on Comodo and Geffen. They are also searching for the two spy's family."  
  
"Why the spy's family" asked Tier.  
  
"It is said that the two spies are excellent fighters and it is to be believed that their son and daughter must also be great fighters. If they do not know how to use their talents, then the Enemy King can kill them before they become a threat."  
  
Tier sat down beside Myria and took her hands. "We're going to have to go now. We can't stay here. Every moment becomes more dangerous. Can you go to the others? I'll take care of things here."  
  
Myria nodded and ran off to warn the others about their departure. Turning back, Myria saw Tier take off a charm from his waist pocket and give it to Wen and Tye. Before she was out of hearing distance, she heard Tier say, "A charm from the Boy of the Great Wars."  
  
Enveloped in his blanket, Aeron yawned and dreamt about his father. He remembered how his father would always come home late. Waking suddenly to the sound of Myria's voice, an image caught in his memory. The image of his father in bloody clothes, holding a knife, which belonged to the assassins of the East. 


	13. Love and Hate

The group now walked carefully around the edge of Comodo. Brent donned his customary Sakkat and gave another to Tier. Tier wanted to wear a disguise so that no one would realize who he was. No one else in the group knew of Tier's background, no one that is except Myria, Brent and Nallia.  
  
Soyee was the first to see the enemy ranks. They were all hidden behind the trees and crouching in bushes. Myria smiled softly to herself. What would it be like to put fire to those trees?  
  
Aeron and Nallia first went through the gates. They pretended to not see the guards trying to stay hidden while a number of them seemed to be impatient. Myria, Brent and Tier gathered among the crowds entering Comodo and joined them in walking in. Soyee joined a group of priests and started talking to them about the Order while they strolled inside the city.  
  
Inside, they gathered at the middle of the city and started planning. They couldn't leave the city in trouble to go to the enemy head quarters. They must stop this fight before it began. Myria and Nallia decided to work on the western end of the city and routed out the attackers among the forest's edges. Tier took the north end while Brent and Aeron took the east. Soyee would be in charge of gathering all the citizens in Comodo and explain to them their situation.  
  
Myria flicked her fingers and large fire balls appeared in her arms. Standing on one of the tallest buildings in Comodo, she sent her fire balls flying towards the hidden soldiers among the forest foliage. Nallia shot any remaining soldiers with steel arrows. The two worked together and Myria even set Nallia's arrows on fire while she shot them, combining their attacks.  
  
Brent and Aeron laughed as many of the soldiers ran off as if they were ducks. Brent had scared off a whole line of soldiers with his hammer attack while Aeron slashed those that remained to fight. Together they knocked the soldiers unconscious leaving them to be picked up by the Comodo guards later on.  
  
Picking their way across the eastern forest edges, they rid the forest of the Easter soldiers. "You're a pretty good fighter Aeron. Almost like your dad."  
  
Aeron smiled. "My old man could fight huh? Well imagine that." The image of the bloody knife entered his mind again. Anger ran through him. Something was wrong with that picture. Accidentally, Aeron watched as three soldiers died with fatal wounds to their backs. They were retreating, why did he kill them. Brent watched Aeron in silence. Patting him on the back, he continued with the fighting, "Don't worry. Death is bound to happen in battles. They wouldn't care if they gave you a wound." Smiling, Aeron tried his best to forget about the three men. Looking around him, he started to fight off the other soldiers who tried to get into Comodo.  
  
Tier on the other hand was not enjoying the battle. The soldiers lay around him fatally injured. Letting lose his anger on the soldiers was not acceptable, but he could not forget the emotions that had taken him over during the Great Wars. Everyone thought of him as being a great mage, but he was only a man who could not deal with his anger. When he was six years old, the War had cost him his father, mother and sister. At the age of eight, he had been orphaned two times, kicked around by his remaining relatives and thrown into the street by strangers. The enemy then came to his town and destroyed the only home he had ever had. Tier had had enough. He couldn't take it anymore and in a rage he let his anger fuel his magic.  
  
Within the next three years, he had helped the people of Midgard push the enemy back to the South while killing thousands of their soldiers. Everyone marveled at the boy who saved Midgard. The one who's magic surpasses all others. But they didn't know the pain that encompassed this power. To let the rage burn him and leave him with no more soul. No one understood the pain that developed in not able to love. The years where he had been loved by others but he did not show it in return. Tier remembered the day his lover hanged herself because she was so depressed. All because Tier had not showed her he loved her, all because he was a man with no soul.  
  
Soyee looked up in surprise at the huge thunderbolt that had hit the northern forest. Was that the power that Tier possessed? By talking to the elders in Comodo, Soyee had learned that Tier was the Great Mage. He was a man who could beat an entire army within seconds. Feeling herself getting hot, she looked towards the blaze that now issued forth from the forest. "I hope he doesn't burn the whole forest down." The priests nodded and silently prayed for the safety of all.  
  
Praying a short prayer, Soyee ran off to the northern part of the city and met the injured soldiers and the Comodo guards. Taking in the prisoners of war, the Comodo guards donned a grim face. From Myria and Nallia's group, many came in with burn wounds or arrow wounds while from Aeron and Brent's group, there were many who had fainted from exhaustion or had fallen unconscious. A few came in with sword wounds but not a lot. Looking towards Tier's group, Soyee saw only dead bodies.  
  
Swallowing, she saw Tier emerge from among the carnage. He had no wounds on his body and his clean white robes showed that he had not been touched by the soldiers. Frowning, Soyee started cleaning the wounds of the rest of them. She felt Tier walk up to her, but she was still surprised when she heard his voice, "How can I help?"  
  
Soyee looked at Tier with wide eyes and said, "Do you have any extra potions or bandages?" Nodding, Tier took some out of his pockets and knapsack. Going off to some of the soldiers, he started binding their wounds and letting them sip from the bottles of potion.  
  
Soyee watched in discomfort. Was this really the man who killed all those soldiers? Myria and Nallia entered Comodo just in time to see the dead corpses being burnt and Aeron and Brent followed suit. Nallia frowned and looked away while Myria's eyes turned red with tears. Aeron tried comforting them while Brent stared at the pile of corpses. He stumbled up to Soyee and stammered, "What...their..." Looking at Tier, Brent asked, "His?"  
  
Nodding solemnly Soyee continued with her healing. Brent shook his head and took out more potions from his cart while the Comodo guards took the healed prisoners back to the dungeons. It would take a long time before all the enemy soldiers were put on trial.  
  
That night, Soyee watched Tier with curiosity. He seemed to be more lonely than usual. His eyes seem to wonder off to somewhere else, some past that was unseen by them all. Soyee noticed Aeron's sister, Myria trying to converse with Tier but she would always fail in getting his attention. Myria felt great love towards all man and animals alike. She would have been a great acolyte.  
  
Noticing Nallia had gone off to sleep; Soyee smiled and sat down next to Aeron. Aeron seemed to be miserable. "What is it, Aeron?"  
  
Acknowledging that Soyee was now sitting beside him, he sighed, "I think I'm in love with a girl but she doesn't know it."  
  
Soyee's heart raced. Could it be? "Who is this girl? Is she someone I know?"  
  
Looking around, Aeron nodded. "I think...I think I'm in love with Nallia!"  
  
Soyee felt her heart break. There was no denying the fact that Aeron had feelings for Nallia, but for a moment, just one moment she had hoped that she was the one Aeron loved. But being kind and nice like an acolyte should be, she said, "Well, you should tell her about how you feel. She might feel the same way."  
  
Aeron sighed. "Maybe."  
  
Standing up, Soyee walked towards the beach and sat down to think. Aeron looked over at Soyee and raised his shoulders. Standing up, Aeron joined Brent in the Comodo Pub. It was their last night before having to enter a foreign land.  
  
"Myria."  
  
"Yeah what is it?"  
  
Tier looked miserable. All night, he had not spoken and ever since the battle, he isolated himself from the others. "Do you know about my past?"  
  
Myria smiled and leaned against him, "You mean the fact that you single handedly defeated the whole South Army and saved Midgard from being taken over?"  
  
Tier sighed. "Yes, but something else. Something more personal." Interested, Myria shook her head and looked at Tier, "Would you like to tell me?"  
  
Tier nodded. "A long time ago, I had a lover. She was the world to me, but I didn't know it until she was gone." Pausing he felt Myria tense slightly. "I could never forget her face, her words, and her beautiful loving spirit. But I killed that spirit. She was everything that I was not. I kept her caged and she felt like the whole world was taken away from her. She loved me, and because she loved me, she tried to change me. The problem is...I couldn't change. I was long dead."  
  
Myria looked off towards the bright stars in the dark night sky. "You're not dead now."  
  
Tier put an arm around Myria. "But that's because her death, gave me another chance. She said that if she had to die to make me understand, she would do it. She hanged herself."  
  
Sitting up, Myria's face was unreadable. Tier continued on, "I lost the only person I ever loved and now I regret everything. You know the history of the Great Mage. You heard all the titles, the stories, but do you know the truth?"  
  
"You see today what I have done to the soldiers? It is because seeing them again reminded me of all that the soldiers have done to me. I raged inside. It was so consuming that I did not think before I acted. They all died because I was too immature to think before I killed them. Do you understand how maddening this rage is like bottled up inside? I remember the war took away my parents, my sister, my family and friends. All that I remember disappeared under the word, war."  
  
Myria leaned closer towards Tier and whispered, "Now you can make everything right again. I understand that it's hard for you to see them again, but you can control yourself. I know you can, I believe in you."  
  
Shaking his head, Tier stood up. "Myria, I want to tell you this." Pausing he looked down at the expectant girl. Her eyes were so beautiful, so lovely.  
  
"You're too young for me. There's no way this will work."  
  
Without turning back to see her reaction, Tier walked into the inn and returned to his room. Myria sat on the bench outside the inn and stared at the place where Tier was. Tears started rolling down her cheeks and she wiped them furiously away. When had she felt this way? Why was she crying?  
  
It was now too late to realize that she had fallen in love with Tier. Too late to do anything, because he told her that he didn't love her. Too late...  
  
The morning came and the whole of Comodo was busy yet again. The city of Comodo seemed always to be night time but the beautiful fire works made the city a wonderful place for lovers and party goers to go to. The atmosphere was filled with laughter and music while friends partied with bards and dancers. Aeron however did not feel like partying. He was entirely angry.  
  
"What did you do to my sister? She wouldn't go to the South by herself if you hadn't made her angry. I saw you with her last night. What did you do?"  
  
Dodging the knife that Aeron threw at him, Tier sat down and read the letter,  
  
"Dear Aeron and Friends,  
  
I'm sorry. I decided to go to the South without you. I understand you will be quite upset about this, but I have a few things to do on my own. Please forgive me. I'll take care of the enemy head quarters. All you have to do is back me up.  
  
I'll be seeing you and if I never see you again, I hope you all safety and happiness. Don't worry about me; I know I'm destined to do this. Aeron, I have heard news of our parents. Please! You have to come to the South, I believe our parents are captured and is now prisoners to the Enemy King. Be careful!  
  
From you loving sister and friend,  
  
Myria." 


	14. The Black Tower

Aeron fumed as he walked beside Soyee and Nallia. The two girls sighed and tried to calm Aeron down. Ever since finding out that his sister had run away to the most dangerous place that she could run off to, Aeron's been angry. His angry naturally directed itself to Tier, the man who gave the idea of entering the enemy base to Myria.  
  
"Why in the world would she do something so stupid?"  
  
For the hundredth time, Aeron ranted and raged. "No! She had to do something that could get herself killed, or worse!"  
  
The group sighed again. Collectively the tried to ignore the young man but could not help but worry themselves. Tier was quiet as he headed the way and leads the rest of them towards the harbor. They had rented a cruiser. A beautiful Comodo entertainment ship.  
  
Aeron stopped raving to take a breath. Nallia smiled at the ship and started walking up to Tier. So we're going to the most dangerous place that we can on the most beautiful ship that I've seen?"  
  
Tier nodded gravely. He couldn't help but worry about Myria. She knew about her parents. She knew that they were the two spies and she knew that Tier knew where they were. Myria must have been angry at him when she found out about that. Entirely consumed with this idea, Tier didn't even realize everyone had already headed onto the ship and was waiting for him.  
  
Looking up, Tier saw Aeron glare at him. Myria wasn't the only one that must have been mad at him. Talking to the sailor nearby, Tier arranged for them to land a ways away from the Eastern camp. Taking care to tell the sailor to close most of the entertainment lights, Tier started to settle down for the ride.  
  
Meanwhile, Myria was wondering what she was doing. Having stolen away on a merchant ship, Myria was hiding behind the fishing nets when the ship suddenly stopped. The crew started taking out boxes and getting things unloaded. In the confusion, Myria climbed out of her hiding place and jumped overboard. Landing in the shallow water, she swam the rest of the way to the shore.  
  
Drenched and feeling rather cold, Myria ran into the forest to try to get some cover. In the forest, Myria had expected to find a dark dry surrounding but was surprised to know that the forest was damp with new rain and a loud ruckus was heard from ahead of her. Trying to conceal herself in a nearby bush, she saw two men laughing and slapping each other heartedly on the back.  
  
"Oh we goin' ta get the Comodo soon!"  
  
"Yah! Comodo food, fun and women!"  
  
The two man rudely burped and staggered to the west of her hiding place.  
  
Gently, Myria removed herself and followed the two men. Looking past two large strange looking trees, Myria saw a camp settled around a small drinking hole. Many soldiers were laughing and drinking before a forest camp fire. Studying the soldiers, she moved to the side and examined the road that the camp was blocking. With her eyes, she followed the straight road until it headed off to the horizon. That was her destination...  
  
Brent staggered around the deck of the ship in horror. There was no way he could make it all the way across the ocean! Taking care to heave overboard and not on the ship, he thought about all the things he could be doing right now. Gasping for air, he felt a gentle hand rub his back.  
  
Looking up, he accepted the handkerchief that Soyee offered to him. Wiping the vomit from his mouth, he nodded thanks and watched as the girl's hands starting glowing. Slowly warmth engulfed him and he was embraced in a comfortable glow. The other passengers on the ship watched as Brent started to calm down. His breathing slowed and he slowly walked downstairs to the cabins. His tension was removed and he easily fell asleep.  
  
Soyee walked back upstairs and the rest of the crew quietly smiled to each other. Quietly Nallia mouthed to Soyee, "Yay! No more vomit for three to four hours!"  
  
Tier watched the group and listened to their chatter. Would they be ready for their first real war? What would happen if anything happened to them? What would he do? What would he do if anything were to happen to Myria?  
  
Myria yawned. Feeling quite exhausted, she tried to sneak around the camp. The men were all drunk and sleeping. Quite easily, she climbed through the barrier and watched the men silently. Taking care to not step on anything that would give her away, Myria advanced a third of the portion on the road. Since it was a straight road with two solid brick walls on the side, Myria knew that if the soldiers woke up and saw her, she would have no place to run but forward.  
  
Pausing at every second to look behind her, she felt the tension rise. Walking more quickly, she made sure her boots didn't make a sound on the hard concrete walk way. Farther and farther she went until she was sure the soldiers couldn't see her. Running the rest of her way, she was surprised when she saw a large black building in front of her. Walking up to the building she noticed it had no windows and there were no apparent doors. Issuing forth from the building there were horrible screams that were no unlike those in the Ant's Hell. Bravely, Myria walked around the building. There must be a way inside!  
  
Tier felt uneasy. They were taking too long. When was this blasted ship ever going to reach the shore? Not long after that thought did he hear the crew members yell, "Land Ho!"  
  
Grabbing his staff, Tier ran off the ship and headed into the foliage. Aeron and the rest of the group did the same. Brent was looking better but he still had a slight tinge of green around his mouth. Hiking across the forest without using the main roads took a lot more time, but Tier knew that by now, there should be many soldiers patrolling the shores. Taking care not to step on the poisonous plants, Tier pointed out the dangers of the Eastern Forest.  
  
Aeron listened impatiently. He was sure that if they had taken the main roads, they would be able to see Myria soon. He watched Tier point out the poisonous plants and wondered how he knew about the Eastern Forest in such detail. He was their guide but Aeron was suspicious about Tier. There were too many mysteries about the man.  
  
Suddenly Tier stopped them. In front of them, they saw a group of soldiers on the ground. They seemed to be drunk. A lone soldier had awakened and was walking towards the drinking hole to get a drink. Tier examined the group and wondered if Myria had walked past here. Or what if she's lost in this strange forest?  
  
Motioning the group to back away, they were surprised to find that a knight stood behind them. Riding a PecoPeco, the knight smirked and pointed a sword at them, "Charge!"  
  
The group was suddenly overwhelmed by soldiers running from all sides. The knight's sword was dangerously close to Tier's ears. Seeing the knight on the PecoPeco and the sword by his head, memories rose from Tier's past, clouding his eyes, his thinking and his judgment. With a quick strike to the ground, Tier summoned a earthquake and with a smooth motion he gathered fireballs to him. Suddenly the power struck the enemy and they fell down. Soon a large firewall surrounded them and they were slowly tortured by the heat of the wall and the large fireballs which were being aimed at them.  
  
Tier was consumed. He couldn't think and couldn't hear the pleas coming from Soyee. She feared that Tier might kill them all. Already there were many bodies piled to one side of the forest and even more that were turned to dust. Crying softly, she pleaded and begged for Tier to stop. He scared her when she looked into his eyes; they didn't see her and had no spark in them. He felt like a doll that moved but did not truly exist. Aeron tried pulling Soyee away from Tier into safety but she persisted her pleading and would not remove herself from Tier. Finally she stopped her crying and looked at her hands. Trying to calm herself, Soyee pushed all the magic that she possessed into her arms and finally pressing both her hands tenderly on Tier's chest, she let her magic seep into him.  
  
Slowly Tier began to hear Soyee's pleads and her cries for mercy. Truly looking at her, Tier realized that she was crying and pulling his arms. Looking up, he saw the fire wall and the many corpses around him. Shaking, Tier gasped. He had done it again.  
  
Myria had crawled into a duct which seemed to lead inside the building. She crawled through the sludge filled tunnel and tried to not breath the foul smell of garbage. It seemed to be a garbage shoot. Finally the ceiling of the tunnel opened up wide and she was able to walk. Walking through the garbage, she noticed the large amount of strange Eastern food. Wondering about this, she considered herself going mad. "In a time like this, I'm still thinking of food." Chuckling to herself, she started when she heard a noise.  
  
Looking up, she saw a garbage bag being pushed through a vent. Stepping aside, she let the garbage fall and studied the hole in the wall. This was the place she would have to climb off of.  
  
Studying the two walls, she got an idea. By stepping on the opposite side of the wall climbing with her back against the other wall, she was able to get herself up most of the way. The problem would be trying to climb through the hole without getting caught. When Myria was level with the hole she observed that there was no one on the other side of the wall. Taking a breath, she tensed her muscles and jumped forward. Grabbing the ledge of the hole, she pulled herself up and through it.  
  
Wincing, she hid behind a column and massaged her tired muscles. She would have to find a way to clean the sludge from her boots once she gets out to a clean floor. Even in this large room, she saw that the floor was littered with garbage and there was a large amount of puddles which contained dirty water.  
  
Grabbing a nearby pole, she tried to clean her boots as best she can. Suddenly she heard a noise and turned around. A large black soldier narrowed his eyes and started towards her.  
  
"Eep!" Myria readied her pole and felt for her staff. This is not good!  
  
Tier was walking in misery. The group was walking not far from him but he heard them whispering about him. He had lost their trust. He had lost their admiration. Tier had done it again.  
  
Before they could speak to him though, Tier motioned them towards the large black building in front of them. Walking briskly towards the building he felt for the handle to the door. Reaching low on the ground, Tier saw a knob which was a slightly different color. Pressing the knob, a panel opened and Tier took a hold of the handle. Turning back he said, "Prepare yourselves."  
  
Opening the door, they were thrust into darkness. The group took some time to adjust their eyes and watched as Tier lead them into a large tunnel. There were many small specks of light coming from the ceiling of the tunnel. The specks were first mingled with a vast amount of different colors but as there were more branches to the tunnel, the specks became more differentiated and finally they realized that they were following the green specks of light.  
  
As they neared a tunnel entrance to another branch, they heard a loud sound echoing through the tunnel's opening. Soyee and Nallia looked at each other with curiosity. Whispering to Tier they asked, "What's down that way?"  
  
Tier stopped and backtracked. Listening intently, he heard the sounds of a fight. Eyes widening, he started running. Aeron ran after him. Nallia looked at Soyee and started following them while Brent sighed and gathered his supplies. Another battle.  
  
The only thing that came to Tier's mind is Myria. He knew that she must be down here somewhere. Finally they entered the chamber that contained the trash. Looking around, he tried to pinpoint where the fight was. Hearing Myria gasp in pain, his mind froze and he started shouting, "Myria!"  
  
Aeron joined him and the two frantically looked around. The vast chamber echoed their cries and the two was frustrated when the cries of Myria were distorted and they were unable to find her. Finally Brent, Soyee and Nallia pulled the two from the garbage and motioned towards the west of the chamber. Quickly, they ran forward and saw Myria. She was being attacked by not one but fifteen of the large soldiers.  
  
Tier was quick to respond as he created a firewall in front of Myria, protecting her from any more attacks. Gasping for air, Myria looked up and smiled. Turning around, she raised her arms and ice started to form on the foot of the soldiers. With a quick motion, tiny lightning bolts hit the soldiers and they fell unconscious to the floor.  
  
Myria winced as the pain started to seep into her muscles. She had taken quite a few blows to the back and the legs. Feeling quite dizzy, she didn't realize that Tier was holding her and Soyee was trying to heal her bloody wounds. 


	15. The Last GoodBye

Quite some time passed before Myria felt strong enough to walk. She was relaying any information she had about her parents to the others. "Aeron, our parents are being held in a place they call the Black room. The war is being started by the Black Rebels and not the Enemy King. It seems like he's actually being held captive by the Rebels. That's about all I know. We have to save our parents and save the King. If not, I'm sure there's going to be all out war and no one will be at peace!"  
  
Trying to get up once again, she stumbled but Tier was there to hold on. "You alright."  
  
Myria looked up at Tier. She nodded, "I'm fine."  
  
Tier watched as Myria slowly started walking, her wounds had closed and with the help of Brent's potions, even the deeper wounds were healed but the new muscles and tired body parts just wouldn't work as well as they would be if she had rested enough. "Look Myria —"  
  
Myria stopped him and pointed towards a large chamber. Inside, they saw many soldiers, but these were wearing white bandanas and suits customary to a knight's. There weren't too much that they couldn't handle and most of them seemed to have been in an earlier fight. Injuries were donned by all knights, some so serious that they were definitely close to death. Soyee walked forward without thinking and the group hesitantly followed her.  
  
The knights watched as the strangers walked up to them. The young acolyte was looking at one of their injured comrades. Watching her, they realized that she was healing the injured man. They clamored over to her and watched more intently, hoping that she would heal them all. Brent decided to help out by handing out red potions. Many of the man did not speak English and instead muttered their thanks in another tongue. The only man who did not walk over to Brent and Soyee was a tall black haired young man with strong noble features.  
  
Tier watched this man as he walked towards him. "I never thought I'd see you again."  
  
Coldly the tall man stood a few feet away from Tier. He took out his sword and pointed it at Tier. "I'd never thought you'd give me another chance to kill you."  
  
Tier sighed and shook his head, "I will not attack another man who's injured."  
  
The young man laughed, "But I'm still able to defeat you this time, injury or no. I suggest you defend yourself."  
  
Tier narrowed his eyes and shook his head, "I'll not fight you."  
  
Aeron watched this scene with amusement. This was something that he had not expected. Nallia was tired with this and started walking around the room, hoping the black knight would not notice her examining him. When she finally rounded the room, she also noticed a door which lead to another room. Turning the handle, she almost opened the door before the knight intercepted her and growled, "Get away from there, you're not allowed in."  
  
Before she could respond though, she heard a old aged voice say, "Who is it Renold?"  
  
The knight shook his head and said, "No one your highness, just a pack of rats. I'll exterminate them for you."  
  
"Hey now—" Nallia began.  
  
Before the knight or Nallia could say anything, the door opened and the group saw an old man standing before them. Tall and majestic even for his age, the man donned a crown and the robes of the Eastern house.  
  
"Dart."  
  
The knight bowed and walked to support the old king. "Who are these people?"  
  
"Sire, they are people of no importance."  
  
The man stared at Dart and did not stop staring. Clearing his throat, the man repeated, "Who are these people? And don't make me repeat myself again."  
  
The knight bowed deeply, "My apologies your highness, they are..." His face turned red and he looked at the group of people. Looking over at Tier, he cleared his throat and said, "That man there was the One."  
  
Tier looked at the old man with disdain. Walking gracefully up to him, he bowed slightly and looked up at the man. The Eastern King glared at Tier. "What are you doing here? Have they stooped this low? Will you kill an old man while under arrest and unable to fight back?"  
  
Tier stared at the man. A moment passed and he laughed. "Who do you think I am that I will do such things? We have met before, your majesty, you know what I can do. If I were to do what you accuse me of, I would have done it by now." Looking over at the Dart, Tier continued, "We are here to see what we can do to help you."  
  
Dart scoffed at Tier, "Help? Help?! I do not think you are here to help but to bring us more misery."  
  
"We have our differences but our two countries are now at peace. I wish to keep this peace. You have your memories of the past, but so do I. We know about the rebels, we know they are the ones who would raise war. We are to stop this." Tier said.  
  
The Eastern King shook his head and retreated into his room. Dart followed after him giving Tier a cold stare. Myria walked up to Tier and looked at him. Staring at the door, Tier merely nodded to acknowledge her . "What are we to do now?" she asked.  
  
"I don't know."  
  
Suddenly a large explosion rocked the whole room. Rubble started showering down on the injured and the others. Tier covered Myria, pushing her away from the gaping hole in the wall. "Myria, stay close."  
  
Issuing forth from the hole, a collection of soldiers came into their visibility. Mages were stationed on the interior of the group while swordsmen and knights led the attack. Special acolytes stood in the back to aid in the attack. The injured soldiers were immediately attacked and the rest of the group tried to defend them.  
  
"Aeron watch out!" Bringing his hammer up, Brent smashed an enemy soldiers' hand and left him unconscious on the floor. Taking out her arrows, Nallia shot the soldiers on the shoulder blades or in the foot. Leaving the wounded, she continued to protect Soyee. Soyee was busy bringing the wounded to safety and trying to aid the battle along.  
  
Tier and Myria combined their magic to push the soldiers back. Bringing a firewall up around their enemy, the two protected the wounded and injured the offenders. An enemy archer's arrow shot through the barrier and before he could defend himself, Tier caught an arrow in his chest. Falling down, a portion of the barrier fell. Myria screamed and used her magic to push the barrier back up. Bending down, she examined Tier's wound.  
  
Tier was starting to feel quite dizzy. The wound was poisoned and he couldn't stop his legs from giving out. "Myria..." Lapsing into unconsciousness, the last thing he saw was a soldier standing before him.  
  
Waking up, he looked frantically around. He was in a white room. There was no door, nor any windows. Memories rose in his mind. He had been in this room before. He had seen this place somewhere, but where?  
  
Looking down at his wound, he was surprised to find there was no wound anymore. Someone had saved him, but how? Getting up off the bed, he stood and took a moment to regain his balance.  
  
"Ah you're awake." A cold hand touched Tier's back. Turning back in surprise, he saw to his amazement, Annie and Timothy, Myria and Aeron's parents.  
  
"You're...you're both alive!" Tier stepped back and stared at the couple. Dressed also in white, the two almost blended in with their surroundings. Timothy's flaming hair stood out the most and his face was unusually pale.  
  
"Tier...we know how you've been protecting the two of them. Please tell them we love them." Confused, he intended to walk closer to them but Timothy put his arm up. "Tell them our story. Teach them and please..." Annie continued, "Take close care of Myria for us. She'll be especially hurt when she hears."  
  
Suddenly the white room disappeared and so did the couple. Dazed, he blinked to get rid of the afterimage. Once his eyes adjusted to the light, Tier's hand found two tomb stones. The person who created the tombstones had an incredible talent in art and had decorated them with animals and plants. "Timothy...Annie...?"  
  
Nallia and Soyee looked around the room that they were trapped in. They didn't know where they were or when they had got there, but it seemed like the room went on forever. There were no other walls except for the one behind them but they felt like they were in a room. It was dark but the ceiling sparkled with light. Feeling about them for the ground, they were uncertain as to whether or not they were standing or lying down.  
  
"Where are we?" Soyee asked. Nallia shook her head. Examining the floor, she sat down. To her surprise, she felt warmth coming from the floor. Suddenly the warmth spread and the whole room seemed to be getting hotter.  
  
"Nallia... I don't like this."  
  
Soyee suddenly fell to her knees and she looked up to find her grandmother smiling down at her. "Your father always said you would become an acolyte. I remember raising your father. He was always such a kind boy. Always helping others... even if he had the ability to do more. When the Great War came along, I was surprised that he would fight in it. Especially with the King!"  
  
"Grandmamma?" Soyee trembled. "Is that you?"  
  
"Yes dear. You're going to be just as great as your father, don't forget that."  
  
A figure appeared beside Soyee's grandma. Dressed in a long mage's robe, Nallia saw someone from her past. Someone she cared about.  
  
"Daddy? Daddy you're alive!" Tears spilled from the huntress' eyes and she started running towards the figure. The man smiled sweetly but stopped his daughter from coming closer then two meters. "Nallia darling. How are you?"  
  
"I'm fine. Are you alright?"  
  
The man's smile widened and he raised a hand. Light started filtering into the room and he said, "I missed you, but now it's time for you two to go." The room started to disappear and before they knew it, they found themselves in a boiler room. Looking around, Nallia was frustrated to find that her father and Soyee's grandmother was not there.  
  
Aeron and Myria were playing in rooms when they heard their mother laughing out loud. Curious, they walked outside and found their father tickling her. "Mama..." Myria waddled towards her mother and the woman pushed her husband away gently. Taking Myria in her arms, Annie kissed her on the forehead. "Darling, what are you two doing out here?"  
  
Timothy picked up Aeron in his strong arms and started to walk out the door. Turning around he said, "Come on! Are we going to the park today or what?"  
  
Smiling, Annie and Myria followed them. That day they played in the park until it started to get dark. Neighbors joined them in a large barbecue and everyone had lots of fun. At the end of the day, Annie and Timothy watched Myria and Aeron sleep in their separate beds. "I missed you two so much." Said Annie. Hugging Timothy they started walking out the door, "But know that we'll always look after you. Always." Tears spilled from their eyes as they closed the door.  
  
Brent watched as the soldiers' faces twisted. Some withered on the ground while others screamed in pain. Looking in confusion, he saw Myria perform a Napalm Balm on a nearby soldier and Tier was unconscious on the floor. Nallia fought others while they were weak and Soyee healed the injuries of their friends. Aeron was stunned at the soldier's sudden defeat and that was when a white light engulfed them all. Everyone was consumed in the light. But when Brent woke up, he saw that the soldiers were all either unconscious or dead.  
  
Walking among them, he located his comrades and started shaking them awake. The Easter King's soldiers all woke and started towards their king's chamber to see if he's alright. Nallia and Soyee was the first to wake. They helped with the clearing of the dead and healing of the injured. Then Tier awoke and looked around him in confusion. Searching for Myria, he found that she was unconscious beside Aeron. Shaking the two of them awake, he worried that something had happened to Myria.  
  
"Myria! Wake up." When she stirred, relief flooded him and he relaxed. Aeron woke up to and the group regrouped to help clear the dead bodies. The battle had ended but none knew how the enemy was defeated.  
  
Back in the Eastern King's castle, the group of warriors watched as the King presented each with an honorary medal. All was well and Rune-Midgard was safe from another beginning of the Great War.  
  
Recollecting their dreams during the battle, each understood that somehow they had been in contact with the dead. Myria and Aeron had been able to say good bye to their parents and this caused them pain but eventual relief. Tier decided to help train Aeron and Myria while Soyee went on to study healing. Nallia decided to go back home to her mother and Brent started traveling yet again.  
  
Eventually one day, Tier found Myria by herself walked up to talk to her. "Myria." She was staring up at the stars, softly crying. Wiping her tears hurriedly, Myria tried to smile, "Yeah?"  
  
Alarmed that Myria was crying, Tier walked up and embraced her, "What's the matter?"  
  
"Nothing. I was just thinking about my parents. It's good to see them again."  
  
Smiling, Tier nodded. "Myria..."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
Looking at the girl, he felt his heart open up. They had gone through so much together. They had been through so much... Unable to hide his feelings any longer, he said, "I love you."  
  
Myria looked up the man who loved her and smiled, "I love you too."  
  
The two kissed lightly and then turned to watch the beautiful moon shine upon the lake. They would have a great future together. Everything was alright. 


	16. See YAH

Well, that's the end of it then. I hope you guys enjoyed the story. It's my first one and I'm really glad I got a few reviews for it.  
  
I'm thinking of fleshing out the history of Tier. Perhaps there's going to be a series? Well, that's all for you guys to decide. Please email me with any questions, any suggestions or comments on this story and tell me if you would like to hear a little more about Tier.  
  
There's certainly going to be another story on Myria, Aeron and the gang. A mysterious figure will make an appearance and Myria is found unconscious inside her home. Within a coma, Tier faces the aspect of losing someone he really loves. Haunted by the memories of his past lover, Tier must now venture across Rune-Midgard to find the medicine that can heal Myria. Meanwhile, a dark plot by two mysterious figures target Tier as their next victim.  
  
I'm also collaborating with my sister to develop a story about two girls and the King of Thieves. I'll have to do a little more research on Morroc though, since I've never really visited that city before. Hope to hear more comments from you guys and look for my other stories, coming soon!  
  
Akiko. 


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